POTTER United Families

Unionism movement. Under Alexander, known as ‘the blind man of
Roeselare, the city became a hotbed of petitions. At the start of the
revolution, Alexander continued to prompt West-Flanders, while his
brother Pieter went to Brussels to form an army of volunteers.
The first days of September he met Ferdinand Rodenbach in Lille
where they gathered a number of exiles, together with Barthélemy
Dumortier. While Pieter Rodenbach took Louis to Brussels,
Alexander returned to Bruges where he caused a revolt, together with
Bartels.
November 4, the inhabitants of Roeselare were represented in the
National Congress by Constantijn who was appointed as the
representative after the next elections and occupied his seat in the
Chamber till May 1866. Alexander firmly supported the eviction of
the Nassau’s in Congress, as proposed by his brother.
Both voted in favor of the Duke of Leuchtenberg. Next, they
supported the hesitating policy of the Regent. In 1831, while
Constantin Rodenbach gave his vote to Leopold of Saksen-Coburg,
Alexander refused to support this prince. Alexander was convinced
that Leopold was a presumptuous person who thought that accepting
the throne on humiliating conditions, as stipulated by the Great
Powers, was not worthy of him.
Being more headstrong than his brother, who approved the 18
Articles, he signed the protest of June 29, 1831, and voted against the
violation of the territorial integrity. Rodenbach obviously was very
active in the parliament.
On December 27, 1841, he lost his brother Ferdinand (born May 3,
1773), who was commissioner in the arrondissement of Ypres since
10 years. Constantijn, who was the Belgian ambassador in Athens,
died in 1846. Pieter, being retired, died in 1848.
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