Volders, Jan

(1855-1896)

   A socialist leader and organizer, Jan Volders was born in Brussels on 8 October 1855. He worked for the socialist newspaper in Brussels and participated in the founding congress of the Parti Ouvrier Belge (Belgian Workers' Party) in 1885. A driving force in the demonstrations held in Brussels for universal male suffrage in 1893, he later recoiled from the bloody violence engendered by confrontations with the authorities and subsequently supported compromise measures. He died in Brussels on 11 May 1896.