1954 Alexis Dubois Archive – Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown, Luxembourg

A remarkable six-document archive relating to the appointment of Belgian senior civil servant Alexis-Théodore-Camille Dubois as an Officer of the Grand Ducal Order of the Oak Crown of Luxembourg in 1954.

At the centre of the group is the impressive official diploma issued in the name of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, appointing Alexis-Théodore-Camille Dubois, then Director at the Belgian Central Administration of Customs and Excise, to the rank of Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown.

The archive documents the entire sequence surrounding the distinction: its official transmission, the arrangements for its presentation at the Luxembourg Legation in Brussels, Dubois’s personal letters of thanks, and the subsequent Belgian authorisation allowing him to wear the foreign decoration.

Together, these papers offer an unusually complete record of a diplomatic honour awarded to a senior Belgian civil servant during the early post-war period.

The group forms part of The Alexis Dubois Archive, a collection tracing his career from the Belgian Customs and Excise Administration to senior European institutional service.

The archive includes

1. Grand Ducal diploma – 7 September 1954
Official large-format document issued in the name of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, appointing Alexis-Théodore-Camille Dubois Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown.

2. Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs document – 30 September 1954
Official transmission concerning the foreign decoration, bearing the seal of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade.

3. Letter from the Luxembourg Legation – 4 November 1954
Signed by Lambert Schaus, informing Dubois of the honour and inviting him to the Luxembourg Legation in Brussels on 10 November 1954 at 11:45 for presentation of the distinction.

4. Letter from Alexis Dubois – 16 November 1954
Signed letter addressed to Grand Duchess Charlotte, thanking her for conferring the rank of Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown.

5. Letter from Alexis Dubois – 15 November 1954
Signed letter to Luxembourg minister Lambert Schaus, thanking him for his congratulations and requesting that his gratitude be conveyed to the Grand Ducal Palace.

6. Belgian authorisation – 31 December 1954
Official bilingual Belgian certificate confirming that, by Royal Decree of 17 December 1954, Alexis-Théodore-Camille Dubois was authorised to wear the insignia of Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown.

Historical context

The Order of the Oak Crown was created in Luxembourg in the 19th century and was awarded for distinguished civil and military service as well as for services rendered to Luxembourg.

This archive is particularly interesting because it preserves not only the formal decoration diploma but also the diplomatic correspondence surrounding its presentation and the Belgian administrative authorisation required for a Belgian official to wear the foreign honour.

At the time, Dubois was Director at the Central Administration of Belgian Customs and Excise, several years before moving into the institutions of the European Economic Community.

From the original Alexis Dubois Archive, preserved together for more than seventy years.

Condition

Good vintage archival condition.

The documents show normal signs of age and official use, including folds, light creasing, minor edge wear, occasional marks and natural paper toning.

Several documents retain original official stamps, embossed seals and handwritten signatures.

Please examine all photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the description.

The documents have not been restored or artificially altered.

Important

The six documents are offered together as one archival group and will not be separated.

This preserves the historical context and provenance of the Alexis Dubois Archive.