Paul-Henri Spaak

Paul-Henri Spaak came from an influential Belgian family, served briefly in World War I before capture, and built his name after the war as a tennis player and lawyer - gaining fame in 1929 for defending an Italian student accused of trying to assassinate Italy's crown prince. He entered politics as a socialist in 1932, became prime minister in 1938, and spent World War II as foreign minister in exile in London, where he negotiated the Benelux Customs Union. After the war he served two more brief stints as premier but made his real mark abroad: first president of the Council of Europe's assembly, first president of what would become the European Parliament, chair of the committee that prepared the 1957 Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community, then NATO secretary general from 1957 to 1961. He retired from Belgian politics in 1966 and died six years later, leaving his name on a foundation, a negotiation method, and a building of the parliament he helped create.