Honorary Consul of Belgium Portrait:
Alfred John Welsh, Honorary Consul for Kentucky
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Al Welsh has been focused on partnering with Belgium for many years. After graduating with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law in Lexington, he and his wife spent one year in Brussels, from 1972 to 1973, where Al participated in the first year of PILC, the Program on International Legal Cooperation, offered by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. During this pivotal year, he earned an LLM, Cum Laude, made many long-lasting friendships with his fellow classmates, and developed a lifetime appreciation for Belgium and its citizens.
Upon returning to Kentucky, Al worked as an Assistant in the Attorney General’s office for a short while and then moved to Middelburg, Virginia where he daily commuted into Washington D.C. and served as Legislative Counsel to congressman John Breckenridge. He returned to Louisville in 1977 where he continues in private practice with a concentration on personal injury, estate administration, and international law and economic development. He also maintains offices in both Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Al is an active member of the Kentucky Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Union Internationale des Avocats, and other professional associations.
Al is a past national treasurer of the American Committee on Foreign Relations and has chaired the Louisville Foreign Relations Committee. He is especially gifted in securing speakers of international recognition to share their expertise with the members of the local committee’s monthly meetings. He also supports Kentucky Refugee Ministries, a local non-profit organization for refugee resettlement where his wife Lee was employed for many years. Al has advocated on behalf of the organization for financial aid for their legal department and has provided pro bono assistance for some of the staff and clients. He and his wife have a son and daughter who work in other areas but share their parents’ interest in the global community.
Al’s genuine affection for Belgium, its people and its culture is evident in his work with the Embassy, the Consulate General and its citizens, as an Honorary Consul of Belgium for the State of Kentucky. He is especially honored to have received the Médaille Civique de Première Classe and to have been knighted in the Order of the Crown and in the Order of Leopold.
He continues to travel to Europe for work and pleasure and considers no trip complete without sharing some moules and frites with friends in the place where it all began.
