The Origins

From a middle-class family, Jules Destrée was born in Marcinelle, " rue des Hauchies ", on 21 August 1863.
He goes to school with his younger brother, Olivier Georges, at the City College of Charleroi where his father, a chemist, is teaching Mathematics and Sciences. Man of discernment, he gives them the opportunity to fulfill their culture, initiating them to the taste of reading, the love of travelling, awaking their artistic and musical curiosity.

Clever student, Jules Destrée becomes a Doctor of Laws at the age of 20. In Mons, on 10 August 1889, he marries Marie Danse, eldest daughter of a family of engravers and niece, on mother's side, of Constantin Meunier

During these youth years, Jules Destrée moves in very different as well as fertile classes of the civil society, promising a particular career.