Barend Willem Biesheuvel (pronunciation; 5 April 1920 – 29 April 2001) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) now the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 6 July 1971 until 11 May 1973.[1][2]

Barend Biesheuvel
Biesheuvel in 1982
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office
6 July 1971 – 11 May 1973
MonarchJuliana
DeputyRoelof Nelissen
Molly Geertsema
Preceded byPiet de Jong
Succeeded byJoop 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
See list
Preceded byHenk Korthals
Succeeded byJohan Witteveen
Joop Bakker
Minister of Agriculture
and Fisheries
In office
24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967
Prime Minister
See list
Preceded byVictor Marijnen
Succeeded byPierre Lardinois
Minister for Suriname and
Netherlands Antilles Affairs
In office
24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967
Prime Minister
See list
Preceded byHenk Korthals
Succeeded byJoop Bakker
Parliamentary leader in the
House of Representatives
In office
7 December 1972 – 7 March 1973
Preceded byWillem Aantjes
Succeeded byWillem Aantjes
In office
23 February 1967 – 6 July 1971
Preceded byBauke Roolvink
Succeeded byWillem Aantjes
In office
5 June 1963 – 24 July 1963
Preceded byHenk van Eijsden
Succeeded byJan Smallenbroek
Parliamentary groupAnti-Revolutionary Party
Leader of the
Anti-Revolutionary Party
In office
5 June 1963 – 15 May 1973
Deputy
See list
Preceded bySieuwert Bruins Slot
Succeeded byWillem Aantjes
Member of the
European Parliament
In office
7 March 1961 – 24 July 1963
Parliamentary groupChristian Democratic Group
ConstituencyNetherlands
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 groupAnti-Revolutionary Party
Member of the Social
and Economic Council
In office
20 March 1956 – 1 July 1959
ChairmanFrans de Vries
(1956–1958)
Gerard Verrijn Stuart
(1958–1959)
Personal details
Born
Barend Willem Biesheuvel

(1920-04-05)5 April 1920
Haarlemmerliede, Netherlands
Died29 April 2001(2001-04-29) (aged 81)
Haarlem, Netherlands
Cause of deathCardiovascular disease
Political partyChristian Democratic Appeal
(from 1980)
Other political
affiliations
Anti-Revolutionary Party
(until 1980)
Alma materFree University Amsterdam
(LL.B., LL.M.)
OccupationPolitician · civil servant · Jurist · Businessperson · Banker · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Trade association executive · Lobbyist

Biesheuvel studied law at the Free University Amsterdam obtaining a Master of Laws degree and worked as a civil servant for the Provincial-executive of North Holland from September 1945 until January 1952 and as trade association executive for the Christian Farmers and Gardeners Association (CBTB) from January 1952 until July 1959 and as chairman from August 1956. Biesheuvel became a Member of the House of Representatives shortly after the number of seats was raised from 100 to 150 seats following the election of 1956 taking office on 6 November 1956 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Agriculture, Local Government Affairs and Kingdom Relations. Biesheuvel was also selected as a Member of the European Parliament and dual served taking office on 7 March 1961. After Party Leader Sieuwert Bruins Slot announced his retirement Biesheuvel served as one of the Lijsttrekkers (top candidates) for the election of 1963 and following the election was selected as Leader and Parliamentary leader on 5 June 1963. Following a cabinet formation Biesheuvel was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries with the responsibility for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs in the Cabinet Marijnen taking office on 24 July 1963. The Cabinet Marijnen fell on 27 February 1965 and was replaced by the Cabinet Cals with Biesheuvel continuing his offices. The Cabinet Cals fell on 14 October 1966 and was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Zijlstra with Biesheuvel again retaining his functions. For the election of 1967 Biesheuvel served as Lijsttrekker but following a difficult cabinet formation failed to achieve a coalition and returned to the House of Representatives as Parliamentary leader taking office on 23 February 1967. For the election of 1971 Biesheuvel again served as Lijsttrekker and after a successful cabinet formation formed the Cabinet Biesheuvel I and became Prime Minister of the Netherlands taking office on 6 July 1971.

The Cabinet fell on 19 July 1972 just a year into its term and was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Biesheuvel II with Biesheuvel continuing as Prime Minister. For the election of 1972 Biesheuvel served once again as Lijsttrekker but the following cabinet formation resulted in a coalition led by Labour Leader Joop den Uyl. Biesheuvel left office following the installation of the Cabinet Den Uyl on 11 May 1973 and announced his retirement and stepped down as Leader on 15 May 1973.

Biesheuvel retired from active politics at just 53 and became active in the private and public sectors as a corporate and non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government, and continued to be active as a lobbyist for the European Union advocating for more European integration. Biesheuvel was known for his abilities as skillful manager and effective Debater. During his premiership, his cabinets were responsible for several major public sector reforms by stimulating further deregulation and endorsing more privatization. Biesheuvel continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until his death at the age of 81 from cardiovascular disease. He holds the distinction as leading the last cabinet in which the prime minister was not from the largest party in the coalition, and his premiership is consistently considered both by scholars and the public to have been below average.[3][4][5][6][7]

Early life

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Prime Minister of Norway Trygve Bratteli and Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel at the Catshuis on 8 January 1972.
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union Andrei Gromyko and Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel at the Catshuis op 5 July 1972.

Barend Willem Biesheuvel was born on 5 April 1920 in Haarlemmerliede in the 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)[8] and Johanna Margaretha "Antje" Troost (born 22 February 1881 in Sloten – died 12 December 1955 in Fijnaart).[9] 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 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

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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.

From 1971 to 1973 Biesheuvel was prime minister of the Netherlands.

After politics

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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

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On 22 November 1945, 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 69. Barend Biesheuvel died in a hospital in Haarlem from cardiovascular disease on 29 April 2001 at the age of 81. Biesheuvel and his wife were buried at the main cemetery in Bloemendaal.[10][11]

Decorations

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Honours
Ribbon bar Honour Country Date Comment
  Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Netherlands 8 June 1973
  Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 21 March 1991 Elevated from Grand Officer (27 April 1967)

References

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  1. ^ "Biesheuvel, Barend Willem (1920–2001)" (in Dutch). Huygens ING. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. ^ (in Dutch) Mr. B. W. (Barend) Biesheuvel 6 juli 1971 – 11 mei 1973, Geschiedenis24.nl, 9 December 2005
  3. ^ (in Dutch) Mooie Barend. De vergeten premier, Volkskrant, 9 June 2012
  4. ^ (in Dutch) De driftbuien van Mooie Barend, Historischnieuwsblad.nl, 6 May 2001
  5. ^ (in Dutch) Willem Drees gekozen tot ‘Dé premier na WO II’, Geschiedenis24.nl, 15 January 2006
  6. ^ (in Dutch) NRC-enquête: Drees en Lubbers beste premiers sinds 1900, NRC Handelsblad, 28 September 2013
  7. ^ (in Dutch) I&O Research, I&O Research, 13 March 2020
  8. ^ "Arie Biesheuvel (1883-1952) » Stamboom Hans Meijer » Genealogie Online".
  9. ^ "Johanna Margaretha Troost (1881-1955) » Stamboom Hans Meijer » Genealogie Online".
  10. ^ (in Dutch) Barend Biesheuvel overleden, Trouw, 1 May 2001
  11. ^ (in Dutch) Barend Biesheuvel (81) overleden, Volkskrant, 1 May 2001
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Official
Party political offices
Preceded by Lijsttrekker of the
Anti-Revolutionary Party

1963 • 1967 • 1971 • 1972
With: Jan Smallenbroek (1963)
Bauke Roolvink (1963)
Succeeded by
Office discontinued
Preceded by Leader of the
Anti-Revolutionary Party

1963–1973
Succeeded by
Preceded by Parliamentary leader of the
Anti-Revolutionary Party in the
House of Representatives

1963
1967–1971
1972–1973
Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
Preceded by
Political offices
Preceded by Deputy Prime Minister
1963–1967
With: Anne Vondeling (1965–1966)
Jan de Quay (1966–1967)
Succeeded by
Succeeded by
Minister for Suriname and
Netherlands Antilles Affairs

1963–1967
Preceded by Minister of Agriculture
and Fisheries

1963–1967
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of the Netherlands
1971–1973
Succeeded by
Minister of General Affairs
1971–1973
Business positions
Preceded by
Unknown
General-Secretary of the
Executive Board of the
Christian Farmers and Gardeners Association

1952–1956
Succeeded by
Unknown
Preceded by
Unknown
Chairman of the
Executive Board of the
Christian Farmers and Gardeners association

1956–1959
Succeeded by
Unknown
Preceded by
Unknown
Chairman of the
Supervisory board of the
NIBC Bank

1973–1991
Succeeded by
Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by
Unknown
Chairman of the
Supervisory board of the
Blind and Visually
Impaired Foundation

1994–1998
Succeeded by
Unknown