Louis Jean Henri Charles Adelbert de Bourbon

Geslacht: Man
Vader: Henri Jean Eduard de Bourbon
Moeder: Geertruida Josephina Emilia Steijns
Geboren: 27 Dec 1908 Renkum
Overleden: 8 Jan 1975 Arnhem
Aantekeningen: Last Name: Bourbon de
First Name: Louis
Title: PRINCE
Date of Birth: 27/12/1908
Date of death: 01/01/1975
Rescuer's fate: survived
Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS
Gender: Male
Profession: MAYOR
Place during the war: Oss, Noordbrabant, The Netherlands
Rescue Place: Oss, Noordbrabant, The Netherlands
Rescue mode: Arranging shelter
File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/8368)
A lawyer by education and a poet, journalist and editor of literary periodicals, Louis de Bourbon was also mayor of Oss, North Brabant, from May 15, 1941. In the face of the intensifying anti-Jewish dictates, he identified strongly with the town’s Jewish community and tried to save as many as he could. Among those helped by Louis de Bourbon were Bob Zadok Blok, his brother, Leo, and their mother Irene, who had been brought to him by Joop van Laar, a Resistance worker who was also a friend of their father’s. On the first day of the mass deportation of the Jews of Oss, August 28, 1942, Louis managed to postpone the departure of many and thus enabled them to go into hiding. He also obtained exemptions from deportation for sick and disabled Jews and their closest relatives. For those families classified as “incomplete” owing to the hospitalization of relatives, he also secured postponements. On one occasion, when Jews were gathered at the Den Bosch train station, he succeeded in getting some of them back to their homes. On June 23, 1943, Louis resigned as mayor on the grounds that he could not accede to the arrest of innocent citizens. From that day on, he went into hiding as a Resistance worker and became a commander of one of the units in the area. In this capacity, he saved even more Jews from deportation. Louis also secured hiding places for Jews and accompanied them between addresses. On March 17, 1944, he was sentenced to death in absentia.
On February 11, 1999, Yad Vashem recognized Louis de Bourbon as Righteous Among the Nations.