Camille Huysmans was born on May 26 of 1871 in the village of Bilzen, in the province of Limburg in Belgium.  He studied in Tongeren and Liège, became a teacher in Ieper and Elsene, and a politician in Brussels. In 1920 he established himself in Antwerp.

Huysmans was a socialist politician and became mayor of Antwerp in 1932. He staid mayor until the German invasion in May 1940.  He fled to London where he was as member of the Belgian parlement in exile.  He returned to his duties in Antwerp, on September  12 of 1944.

On August 26 of 1946 he became prime minister of Belgium.

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Carved from a massive block of  mahogany in 1950