colonel maximilien charles ferdinand strauch (lomprez, 4 october 1829 – beez, 7 june 1911) was a belgian officer who played a role in the colonization of the congo. he was a trusted advisor of king leopold ii of belgium, who entrusted him with the functions of secretary-general of the association internationale africaine (1878), secretary of the comité d'études du haut-congo (1878) and chairman of the association internationale du congo (23 february 1885 – 1 july 1885).