Émile Guillaume Vandervelde was a Belgian socialist politician and statesman. He graduated as a doctor in law (1885) at the ULB and settled as a lawyer in Brussels. He also graduated as a doctor in social sciences (1888) and obtained a special doctorate in state economics (1892). Nicknamed "le patron" (the boss), Vandervelde was a leading figure in the Belgian Labour Party (POB–BWP) and in international socialism.