Barend Biesheuvel
Barend Willem Biesheuvel was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti-Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal party and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 6 July 1971 until 11 May 1973.
Biesheuvel attended a Gymnasium in Haarlem from April 1936 until May 1940 and applied at the Free University Amsterdam in June 1940 majoring in Law and obtaining an Bachelor of Laws degree in July 1942. On 10 May 1940 Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands and the government fled to London to escape the German occupation. During the German occupation Biesheuvel continued his study but in September 1942 the German occupation authority closed the Free University Amsterdam. Following the end of World War II Biesheuvel returned to the Free University Amsterdam in May 1945 before graduating with an Master of Laws degree in September 1945. Biesheuvel worked as a civil servant for the Province of North Holland as a paralegal for the Agriculture department from September 1945 until October 1947 and as a paralegal for the Sectoral organisation of Agriculture from October 1947 until January 1952. Biesheuvel worked as a trade association executive for the :nl:LTO Nederland|Christian Farmers and Gardeners association from January 1952 until July 1959 and served as General-Secretary of the Executive Board from January 1952 until August 1956 and as Chairman of the Executive Board from August 1956 until July 1959.
Biesheuvel became a Member of the House of Representatives after Jacob Algera was appointed as Minister of Transport and Water Management in the Cabinet Drees III following the election of 1956, taking office on 6 November 1956 serving as a frontbencher chairing the :nl:Tweede Kamercommissie|parliamentary committee for Agriculture and Fisheries and spokesperson for Agriculture and Fisheries, Social Work, civil service, Small business, Local Government Affairs, Kingdom Relations and deputy spokesperson for Justice, Welfare and Provincial Government Affairs. Biesheuvel was selected as a Member of the European Parliament and dual served in those positions, taking office on 7 March 1961. After the Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party and Parliamentary leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party and Democracy in the House of Representatives :nl:Sieuwert Bruins Slot|Sieuwert Bruins Slot announced his retirement from national politics and that he wouldn't stand for the election of 1963, the Anti-Revolutionary Party leadership approached Biesheuvel as one of the Lijsttrekkers for the election. The Anti-Revolutionary Party suffered a small loss, losing 1 seat and now had 13 seats in the House of Representatives. After the election the Anti-Revolutionary Party leadership approached Biesheuvel as Leader, Biesheuvel accepted and became the Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party, taking office on 1 July 1963 and became Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives, taking office on 16 July 1963. The following cabinet formation of 1963 resulted in a coalition agreement between the Anti-Revolutionary Party, the Catholic People's Party, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Historical Union which formed the Cabinet Marijnen with Biesheuvel was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs, taking office on 24 July 1963. The Cabinet Marijnen fell on 27 February 1965 after a disagreement in the coalition about reforms to the public broadcasting system and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1965 when it was replaced by the Cabinet Cals with Biesheuvel continuing as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs, taking office on 14 April 1965. The Cabinet Cals fell on 14 October 1966 after the Leader of the Catholic People's Party Norbert Schmelzer had proposed a motion that called for a stronger austerity policy to further reduce the deficit was seen an indirect motion of no confidence and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1966 when it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Zijlstra with Biesheuvel continuing as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs, taking office on 22 November 1966. For the election of 1967 Biesheuvel served for a second time as Lijsttrekker. The Anti-Revolutionary Party made a small win, gaining 2 seats and now had 15 seats in the House of Representatives. Biesheuvel subsequently returned as a Member of the House of Representatives and as Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives, taking office on 23 February 1967. After the election Biesheuvel was approached by incumbent Prime Minister and fellow party member Jelle Zijlstra as a candidate for Prime Minister, Biesheuvel accepted and was appointed as Formateur to form a new cabinet. Following several failed cabinet formation attempts Biesheuvel stepped down as Formateur and was replaced by incumbent Minister of Defence Piet de Jong. Following the cabinet formation of 1967 Biesheuvel was not giving a cabinet post in the new cabinet, the Cabinet Zijlstra was replaced by the Cabinet De Jong on 5 April 1967 and he continued to serve in the House of Representatives as Parliamentary leader and chairing the :nl:Tweede Kamercommissie|special parliamentary committee for Constitutional Amendments concerning the Crown.
For the election of 1971 Biesheuvel served for a third time as Lijsttrekker. The Anti-Revolutionary Party suffered a small loss, losing 2 seats and now had 13 seats in the House of Representatives. After the election Biesheuvel was approached as a candidate for Prime Minister, Biesheuvel accepted and was again appointed as Formateur to form a new cabinet. The following cabinet formation of 1963 resulted in a coalition agreement between the Anti-Revolutionary Party, the Catholic People's Party, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the Christian Historical Union and the Democratic Socialists '70 which formed the Cabinet Biesheuvel I with Biesheuvel becoming Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs, taking office on 6 July 1971. The Cabinet Biesheuvel I fell just one year later on 19 July 1972 after the Democratic Socialists '70 retracted their support following there dissatisfaction with the proposed budget memorandum to further reduce the deficit and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the first cabinet formation of 1972 when it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Biesheuvel II with Biesheuvel continuing as Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs, taking office on 9 August 1972. For the election of 1972 Biesheuvel served for a fourth and final time as Lijsttrekker. The Anti-Revolutionary Party made a small win, gaining 1 seat and now had 14 seats in the House of Representatives. Biesheuvel subsequently returned as a Member of the House of Representatives and as Parliamentary leader, taking office on 7 December 1972 but he was still serving in the cabinet and because of dualism customs in the constitutional convention of Dutch politics he couldn't serve a dual mandate he subsequently resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives and as Parliamentary leader on 7 March 1973. The following second cabinet formation of 1972 resulted in a coalition agreement which formed the Cabinet Den Uyl, the Cabinet Biesheuvel II was replaced by the Cabinet Den Uyl on 11 May 1973. Shortly thereafter Biesheuvel unexpectedly announced his retirement from national politics and that he was stepping down as Leader on 15 May 1973.
Biesheuvel retired after spending 16 years in national politics and became active in the private sector and public sector and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards and served on several :nl:Staatscommissie|state commissions and councils on behalf of the government and as an advocate and lobbyist for European integration.
Biesheuvel was known for his abilities as a debater and manager. During his premiership, his cabinet was responsible for stimulating deregulation and privatization and for trying to further reducing the deficit. Biesheuvel continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until his death. He holds the distinction of leading the last cabinet of which the Prime Minister wasn't the largest party in the cabinet.
Early life
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 and Johanna Margaretha "Antje" Troost. 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. In 1952 Mr Biesheuvel became general secretary of the Christian Farmers and Gardeners Association of the Netherlands 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 Party in the House of Representatives. 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.