Devaux was born on 10 April 1801 in Bruges. He began life as a lawyer in
Liège, where he met
Joseph Lebeau and
Charles Rogier, with whom he refounded the
Matthieu Lansbergh (later renamed
le Politique) as a pro-unionist publication. Elected to the
National Congress of Belgium, he and Lebeau defended the candidature of
Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg against that of
Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours. In 1831 he took part in Lebeau's cabinet as minister without portfolio – it was Devaux who suggested
Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as a candidate for the throne of Belgium. Devaux died on 30 January 1880 in
Brussels. == References ==