Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns was the eldest of 15 children in the marriage between Hippolyte Rolin and Angélique Hellebaut. His father had graduated with distinction from the University of Leuven (French: "Louvain"), after which he was sworn in as solicitor and travelled to Berlin where he followed classes by von Savigny and Hegel. In 1830, at the start of the Belgian Revolution, he travelled to Courtrai and was elected into the "National Assembly". Later (1848), he was elected into the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives and held the office of "Minister of Public Works".