Theo de Meester
Encyclopedia
Theodoor Herman "Theo" de Meester (Harderwijk
, 16 December 1851 – The Hague
, 27 December 1919) (union-liberal) was Prime Minister of the Netherlands
and Finance Minister
from 1905 to 1908.
De Meester was the son of Gerrit Abraham de Meester (1817–1864), who had been a member of the Dutch parliament for the Zwolle
constituency from 1862 to 1864. A former administrator in the Dutch East Indies
, De Meester's cabinet was inaugurated on 17 August 1905. It consisted of 5 liberal, 2 free-minded democratic, and 2 non-partisan ministers. It had no majority in either of the two Dutch chambers, and earned the nickname porcelain cabinet. His government first resigned in December 1906, when the defence budget for 1907 wasn't approved by the Dutch senate. That resignation was refused by Queen Wilhelmina
, but the government fell in December 1907, when the Dutch parliament disapproved the defence budget for 1908. The government remained as a demissionair until 12 February 1908.
Harderwijk
' is a municipality and a small city in the eastern Netherlands.- The history of Harderwijk :Harderwijk received city rights from Count Otto II of Guelders in 1231. A defensive wall surrounding the city was completed by the end of that century. The oldest part of the city is near where the...
, 16 December 1851 – The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, 27 December 1919) (union-liberal) 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 Finance Minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
from 1905 to 1908.
De Meester was the son of Gerrit Abraham de Meester (1817–1864), who had been a member of the Dutch parliament for the Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
constituency from 1862 to 1864. A former administrator in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, De Meester's cabinet was inaugurated on 17 August 1905. It consisted of 5 liberal, 2 free-minded democratic, and 2 non-partisan ministers. It had no majority in either of the two Dutch chambers, and earned the nickname porcelain cabinet. His government first resigned in December 1906, when the defence budget for 1907 wasn't approved by the Dutch senate. That resignation was refused by Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
, but the government fell in December 1907, when the Dutch parliament disapproved the defence budget for 1908. The government remained as a demissionair until 12 February 1908.