Barend Biesheuvel
Encyclopedia
Barend Willem Biesheuvel (April 5, 1920 – April 29, 2001) was a Dutch
politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party
(ARP) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA). He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands
from July 6, 1971 until May 11, 1973.
He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from November 6, 1956 until July 24, 1963. And a Member of the European Parliament
from March 7, 1961 until July 24, 1963. He became Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
, Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister
from July 24, 1963 until April 5, 1967 in the Cabinets Marijnen, Cals and Zijlstra. He became the Parliamentary leader
in the House of Representatives from February 16, 1967 until July 6, 1971 and a Member of the House of Representatives from February 23, 1967 until July 6, 1971. After the Dutch general election of 1971
, Biesheuvel became Prime Minister of the Netherlands
, leading the Cabinets Biesheuvel I and II. After the Dutch general election of 1972
Biesheuvel again served as the Parliamentary leader
in the House of Representatives from November 30, 1972 until March 7, 1973 and a Member of the House of Representatives from December 7, 1972 until March 7, 1973
After his premiership, Biesheuvel retired from active politics and occupied many posts in industry and seats on numerous supervisory boards, including Chairman of the supervisory board for the NIBC Bank
, from 1973 until 1991.
of North Holland
. After completing his secondary education at local schools, he graduated in law at the Free University of Amsterdam in September 1945. For the next two years Biesheuvel worked in Alkmaar
as secretary to the Food Commissioner for the Province of North Holland
. In 1947 he became secretary to the Foreign Division of the Agricultural Society (now the Agricultural Board). In 1952 Mr Biesheuvel became general secretary of the Dutch Protestant Farmers and Market Gardeners Union (CBTB) and in 1959 chairman of that organisation. From the same year he was also a member of the Agricultural Board, the Labour Foundation and the boards of the Centrale Raifeissen Bank and Heidemij.
in the House of Representatives (the lower house
of parliament). From 1957 to 1961 he held a seat on the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe and from 1961 to 1963 in the European Parliament.
In the successive administrations headed by Marijnen, Cals and Zijlstra between 24 July 1963 and 5 April 1967 he was Deputy Prime Minister with additional responsibility for matters concerning Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
In 1967 he returned to the House of Representatives and became leader of the parliamentary Anti Revolutionary Party
. During the same period he also chaired the Shipbuilding Board and the Committee on Government Information Reform.
Finally, from July 6, 1971 to May 11, 1973, Biesheuvel was Prime Minister of the Netherlands
and Minister of General Affairs in the government that bore his name.
, the national advisory committee on the relationship between the electorate and policy-making, the Provisional Council for Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the Interministerial Coordinating Committee on North Sea Affairs (ICONA). Barend Biesheuvel died in a hospital in Haarlem
after a long illness on 29 April 2001, he was 81.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party
Anti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
(ARP) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA). He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
from July 6, 1971 until May 11, 1973.
He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from November 6, 1956 until July 24, 1963. And a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
from March 7, 1961 until July 24, 1963. He became Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality was formerly the ministry of agriculture of the Netherlands...
, Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the official Deputy of the Head of Government of the Netherlands. In the absence of the Prime Minister the deputy prime minister takes over his functions, such as chairing the Cabinet of the Netherlands...
from July 24, 1963 until April 5, 1967 in the Cabinets Marijnen, Cals and Zijlstra. He became the Parliamentary leader
Parliamentary group leader
The leader or chairman of a parliamentary group holds an influential political post in a parliamentary system with strong party discipline...
in the House of Representatives from February 16, 1967 until July 6, 1971 and a Member of the House of Representatives from February 23, 1967 until July 6, 1971. After the Dutch general election of 1971
Dutch general election, 1971
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on April 28, 1971.-National summary:turnout: 79.1%...
, Biesheuvel became Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
, leading the Cabinets Biesheuvel I and II. After the Dutch general election of 1972
Dutch general election, 1972
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 29, 1972.-National summary:...
Biesheuvel again served as the Parliamentary leader
Parliamentary group leader
The leader or chairman of a parliamentary group holds an influential political post in a parliamentary system with strong party discipline...
in the House of Representatives from November 30, 1972 until March 7, 1973 and a Member of the House of Representatives from December 7, 1972 until March 7, 1973
After his premiership, Biesheuvel retired from active politics and occupied many posts in industry and seats on numerous supervisory boards, including Chairman of the supervisory board for the NIBC Bank
NIBC Bank
NIBC Bank N.V. is a merchant bank in the Netherlands. NIBC is owned by a consortium of international financial institutions organised by J.C. Flowers & Co LLC. NIBC has offices in The Hague, Brussels, Frankfurt, London and Singapore.- History :...
, from 1973 until 1991.
Early life
Barend Willem Biesheuvel was born on April 5, 1920 in Haarlemmerliede in the Netherlands ProvinceProvinces of the Netherlands
A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the local municipalities, having the responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The government of each province consists of three major parts: the Provinciale Staten which is the...
of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
. After completing his secondary education at local schools, he graduated in law at the Free University of Amsterdam in September 1945. For the next two years Biesheuvel worked in Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
as secretary to the Food Commissioner for the Province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
. In 1947 he became secretary to the Foreign Division of the Agricultural Society (now the Agricultural Board). In 1952 Mr Biesheuvel became general secretary of the Dutch Protestant Farmers and Market Gardeners Union (CBTB) and in 1959 chairman of that organisation. From the same year he was also a member of the Agricultural Board, the Labour Foundation and the boards of the Centrale Raifeissen Bank and Heidemij.
Politics
Between 1956 and 1963 he represented the Anti Revolutionary PartyAnti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
in the House of Representatives (the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
of parliament). From 1957 to 1961 he held a seat on the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe and from 1961 to 1963 in the European Parliament.
In the successive administrations headed by Marijnen, Cals and Zijlstra between 24 July 1963 and 5 April 1967 he was Deputy Prime Minister with additional responsibility for matters concerning Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
In 1967 he returned to the House of Representatives and became leader of the parliamentary Anti Revolutionary Party
Anti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
. During the same period he also chaired the Shipbuilding Board and the Committee on Government Information Reform.
Finally, from July 6, 1971 to May 11, 1973, Biesheuvel was Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
and Minister of General Affairs in the government that bore his name.
Trivia
Following his political career, Biesheuvel went on to occupy many other positions in the public and private sectors. Among other things, he was chairman of the supervisory board of the National Investment Bank, a member of the supervisory boards of OGEM and KLM, and chaired the working party on the Netherlands AntillesNetherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
, the national advisory committee on the relationship between the electorate and policy-making, the Provisional Council for Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the Interministerial Coordinating Committee on North Sea Affairs (ICONA). Barend Biesheuvel died in a hospital in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
after a long illness on 29 April 2001, he was 81.
Decorations
- Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
- Officer (April 27, 1962)
- Grand Officer (April 17, 1967)
- Grand Cross (March 21, 1991)
- Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Commander (June 8, 1973)
External links
- Mr. B.W. Biesheuvel (Ministry of General Affairs) Mr. B.W. (Barend) Biesheuvel (Parlement & Politiek)