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]
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Barend Biesheuvel
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Biesheuvel in 1982
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| 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) | |
| Prime Minister | See list
|
| 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 | See list
|
| 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 | See list
|
| 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 5 June 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 5 June 1963 – 15 May 1973 | |
| Deputy | See list
|
| Preceded by | Sieuwert Bruins Slot |
| Succeeded by | Willem Aantjes |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 7 March 1961 – 24 July 1963 | |
| Parliamentary group | Christian Democratic Group |
| Constituency | Netherlands |
| 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 |
| Member of the Social and Economic Council | |
| In office 20 March 1956 – 1 July 1959 | |
| Chairman | Frans de Vries (1956–1958) Gerard Verrijn Stuart (1958–1959) |
| 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 |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980) |
| Other political affiliations | Anti-Revolutionary Party (until 1980) |
| Alma mater | Free University Amsterdam (LL.B., LL.M.) |
| Occupation | Politician · civil servant · Jurist · Businessperson · Banker · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Trade association executive · Lobbyist |
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Biesheuvel studied law at the Free University Amsterdam obtaining a Master of Laws degree and worked as a civil servant for the Provincial-executiveofNorth 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]
Barend Willem Biesheuvel was born on 5 April 1920 in Haarlemmerliede in the ProvinceofNorth 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.
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.
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).
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]
| Honours | ||||
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
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Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | Netherlands | 8 June 1973 | |
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Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 21 March 1991 | Elevated from Grand Officer (27 April 1967) |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
Jelle Zijlstra |
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 |