Barend Biesheuvel

His Excellency Barend Biesheuvel
Barend Biesheuvel in 1982
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 6 July 1971 – 11 May 1973
Monarch	Juliana
Deputy	Roelof Nelissen Molly Geertsema
Preceded by	Piet de Jong
Succeeded by	Joop den Uyl
Deputy Prime Minister
In office 24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967 Serving with Anne Vondeling (1965–1966) Jan de Quay (1966–1967)
Prime Minister	Victor Marijnen (1963–1965) Jo Cals (1965–1966) Jelle Zijlstra (1966–1967)
Preceded by	Henk Korthals
Succeeded by	Johan Witteveen Joop Bakker
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
In office 24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967
Prime Minister	Victor Marijnen (1963–1965) Jo Cals (1965–1966) Jelle Zijlstra (1966–1967)
Preceded by	Victor Marijnen
Succeeded by	Pierre Lardinois
Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs
In office 24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967
Prime Minister	Victor Marijnen (1963–1965) Jo Cals (1965–1966) Jelle Zijlstra (1966–1967)
Preceded by	Henk Korthals
Succeeded by	Joop Bakker
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 7 December 1972 – 7 March 1973
Preceded by	Willem Aantjes
Succeeded by	Willem Aantjes
In office 23 February 1967 – 6 July 1971
Preceded by	Bauke Roolvink
Succeeded by	Willem Aantjes
In office 16 July 1963 – 24 July 1963
Preceded by	Henk van Eijsden
Succeeded by	Jan Smallenbroek
Parliamentary group	Anti-Revolutionary Party
Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party
In office 1 July 1963 – 7 March 1973
Deputy	Jan Smallenbroek (1963–1965) Bauke Roolvink (1965–1967) Willem Aantjes (1967–1973)
Preceded by	Sieuwert Bruins Slot
Succeeded by	Willem Aantjes
Member of the European Parliament for the Netherlands
In office 7 March 1961 – 24 July 1963
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 7 December 1972 – 7 March 1973
In office 23 February 1967 – 6 July 1971
In office 6 November 1956 – 24 July 1963
Parliamentary group	Anti-Revolutionary Party
Personal details
Born	Barend Willem Biesheuvel (1920-04-05)5 April 1920 Haarlemmerliede, Netherlands
Died	29 April 2001(2001-04-29) (aged 81) Haarlem, Netherlands
Cause of death	Cardiovascular disease
Nationality	Dutch
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Anti-Revolutionary Party (until 1980)
Spouse(s)	Mies Meuring (m. 1945; her death 1989)
Children	2 daughters and 1 son
Alma mater	Vrije Universiteit (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws)
Occupation	Politician Civil servant Trade Union Leader Corporate director

Barend Willem Biesheuvel ( pronunciation ; 5 April 1920 – 29 April 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 6 July 1971 until 11 May 1973.^[1][2]

A Civil servant and Trade Union Leader by occupation, he was General Secretary of the Christian Farmers and Gardeners Association of the Netherlands (CBTB) from 1952 until 1959 and Chairman 1959 until 1963. Biesheuvel became a Member of the House of Representatives on 6 November 1956 after the Dutch general election of 1956. On 7 March 1961 he was selected as a Member of the European Parliament and dual served in those positions until 24 July 1963. Biesheuvel became the lijsttrekker (top candidate) of the Anti-Revolutionary Party for the general election of 1963 and served as Party leader from 1 July 1963 until 7 March 1973. The Anti-Revolutionary Party lost one seat but the following cabinet formation resulted in a coalition agreement which formed the Marijnen cabinet, Biesheuvel became Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs. On 28 February 1965 the Marijnen cabinet fell and was replaced by the Cals cabinet, Biesheuvel remained as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs but served alongside Anne Vondeling as Deputy Prime Minister. On 14 October 1966 the Cals cabinet also fell and a rump Zijlstra cabinet was formed on 22 November 1966 Biesheuvel again remained as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs and this time served alongside former Prime Minister Jan de Quay as Deputy Prime Minister. For the general election of 1967 Biesheuvel again as lijsttrekker won two seats, primarily due to the popularity of Prime Minister Jelle Zijlstra. However, Zijlstra announced he did not want the serve a full term as Prime Minister and endorsed his party leader Biesheuvel. The following cabinet formation failed to result in a coalition agreement to form a Biesheuvel cabinet, and after a new cabinet formation the De Jong cabinet was formed. Biesheuvel became the Parliamentary leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives on 16 February 1967 and returned to the House of Representatives on 23 February 1967.

The De Jong cabinet served a complete full term and for the general election of 1971 Biesheuvel again as lijsttrekker lost two seats, but the following cabinet formation resulted in a coalition agreement to form the first Biesheuvel cabinet. Biesheuvel became Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs. On 19 July 1972 the first Biesheuvel cabinet fell and a rump second Biesheuvel cabinet was formed on 9 August 1972. For the general election of 1972 Biesheuvel again as lijsttrekker won one seat and Biesheuvel again became the Parliamentary leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives on 30 November 1972 and returned to the House of Representatives on 7 December 1972. But the following slow cabinet formation resulted in a coalition agreement which formed the Den Uyl cabinet and Biesheuvel announced his retirement from politics and stood down as Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party and resigned as Parliamentary leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives and as a Member of the House of Representatives on 7 March 1973. Biesheuvel remained as Prime Minister until the Den Uyl cabinet was installed on 11 May 1973.

After his premiership, Biesheuvel retired from active politics at the age of fifty-three and occupied numerous seats on supervisory boards in the business and industry world (KLM, NIBC Bank, CSM N.V., AVEBE) and led several governmental commissions.^[3][4]

Early life

He was born on 5 April 1920 in Haarlemmerliede in the Netherlands Province of North Holland in a Reformed family, the son of Arie Biesheuvel (born 21 January 1883 in Haarlemmerliede – died 21 May 1952 in Haarlemmerliede)^[5] and Johanna Margaretha "Antje" Troost (born 22 February 1881 in Sloten – died 12 December 1955 in Fijnaart)^[6]. Biesheuvel had three brothers and two sisters. 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 Christian Farmers and Gardeners Association of the Netherlands (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

Barend Biesheuvel at the inauguration of his first cabinet in 1971.

Between 1956 and 1963 he represented the Anti-Revolutionary Party 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.

After politics

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 Antilles, 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).

Personal life

On 22 November 1945,d Biesheuvel married his longtime partner, Wilhelmina Jacoba "Mies" Meuring (born 7 August 1919). They had two daughters and one son. Mies Meuring died on 17 January 1989 at the age of sixty-nine. Barend Biesheuvel died in a hospital in Haarlem on 29 April 2001 at the age of 81. Biesheuvel and his wife were buried at the main cemetery in Bloemendaal.^[7][8]

Decorations

•  Netherlands
  • Order of Orange-Nassau
    • Officer (April 27, 1962)
    • Grand Officer (April 17, 1967)
    • Knight Grand Cross (March 21, 1991)
  • Order of the Netherlands Lion
    • Commander (June 8, 1973)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barend Biesheuvel.

• (in Dutch) Mr. B.W. (Barend) Biesheuvel (Parlement & Politiek)
• (in Dutch) Kabinet-Biesheuvel (Rijksoverheid)