Career
Originally a Liberal, he went on to join the Socialist Party while he remained a Walloon activist. After obtaining degrees in Law and Social Sciences at the University of Liège (1929), Dehousse sontinued his training in Paris, Grenoble and Geneva from 1929 to 1931. He taught at the Institute of International Law at the University of Liège from 1947.
When the Western European Union established a Commission for the Referendum in Saarland, Dehousse was appointed President (1955–1956).
As a Walloon activist, he supported the federalist approach to the future of Belgium. On 20 October 1945, he supported a federalist proposal before the National Walloon Congress, which only received 40% of the votes as against 46% for unity, but which was finally adopted unanimously.
He was Minister of Labour in 1945, Minister of Education in 1965, and Minister of Community Relations from 1971 to 1972.