Victor de Laveleye

Victor de Laveleye was a nephew of Édouard-Émile, Baron de Laveleye, chairman of the Belgium Olympic Committee. Victor played tennis at the 1920 and 1924 Olympics and was an alternate, who did not play, on the Belgian 1928 hockey team. He became a politician and government minister, who was also a radio announcer during World War II for Radio Belgique. He was a municipality Council member of Sint-Gillis, President of the Liberal Party (1936-37), and a Liberal member of parliament (1939-45) for the Bruxelles District. De Laveleye was minister of justice (1937) and public education (1944-45).

De Laveleye is best known for urging the Belgian people to adopt the upraised index and middle fingers in a V sign, signifying its use for victory, standing for victoire in French and vrijheid in Dutch.