Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (born Pieter Gerbrandij; 13 April 1885 – 7 September 1961) was a Dutch politician and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 3 September 1940 until 25 June 1945. He oversaw the government-in-exile based in London under Queen Wilhelmina during the German occupation of the Netherlands.[1] He was a member of the now-defunct Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), later merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

His Excellency
Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy in 1941
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office
3 September 1940 – 25 June 1945
MonarchWilhelmina
DeputyHendrik van Boeijen
(de facto)
Preceded byDirk Jan de Geer
Succeeded byWillem Schermerhorn
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
23 October 1956 – 20 March 1959
In office
27 July 1948 – 3 July 1956
Parliamentary groupAnti-Revolutionary Party
Minister of Colonial Affairs
In office
17 November 1941 – 21 May 1942
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byCharles Welter
Succeeded byHubertus van Mook
Minister of Justice
In office
23 February 1945 – 25 June 1945
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byGerrit Jan van
Heuven Goedhart
Succeeded byHans Kolfschoten
In office
10 August 1939 – 21 February 1942
Prime MinisterDirk Jan de Geer
(1939–1940)
Himself
(1940–1942)
Preceded byJohan de Visser
Succeeded byJan van Angeren
Personal details
Born
Pieter Gerbrandij

(1885-04-13)13 April 1885
Goënga, Netherlands
Died7 September 1961(1961-09-07) (aged 76)
The Hague, Netherlands
Political partyAnti-Revolutionary Party
Spouse
Hendrina Elisabeth Sikkel
​
​
(m. 1911)​
Children2 sons and 1 daughter
Alma materFree University Amsterdam

Early life

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy was born on 13 April 1885 in the village of Goënga, near Sneek, in the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands. He was an ethnic Frisian, and his name is styled in the traditional Frisian way: first name ("Pieter"), patronymic ("Sjoerds", meaning "son of Sjoerd"), family name (Gerbrandy). Incidentally, the name Gerbrandy is also a patronymic since his great-great-grandfather Jouke Gerbrens (1769–1840) took "Gerbrandy" as a family name on 30 December 1811.[2]

Pieter applied to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in June 1904 and majored in law. He would obtain a doctorate in law in January 1911 and proceeded to work as a lawyer and prosecutor from 1911 to 1920.

Early polical career

Gerbrandy was a member of the Municipal Council of Sneek from April 1916 to January 1930, the Provincial-Council of Friesland from July 1919 to August 1920 and the Provincial-Executive of Friesland from August 1920 to January 1930.

From 1920 to 1930, he was a member of the Provincial Council of Friesland for the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). He also served as Minister of Justice in 1939 against his party's wishes.

Second World War

The German victory at the Battle of the Netherlands in 1940 made the Dutch royal family and many leading politicians flee to London and form a government-in-exile. Combined with Dirk Jan de Geer's resignation the same year, that resulted in Queen Wilhelmia appoint Gerbrandy as prime minister of the Dutch government-in-exile. He also served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Colonial Affairs.

Postwar

After the liberation of the southern Netherlands in 1945, Gerbrandy formed a new cabinet, but he resigned after the total liberation of the country. He opposed the government's Indonesian policy and from 1946 to 1950 chaired the National Committee for the Maintenance of the Kingdom's Unity, which opposed Indonesian independence and advocated for the Republic of the South Moluccas.

In 1950, Gerbrandy published Indonesia, which offered an explanation of the history of the relationship between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) from the 1600s to 1948, which included "The Indies under Dutch rule", "The Rule of Law", "The Japanese Occupation", and "Chaos", with each section outlining Gerbrandy's observations.[3]

In 1948, Gerbrandy returned as a member of the Dutch Parliament, but his hot temper alienated members of his party. In 1956, he was made member of a commission that investigated the affair surrounding Greet Hofmans. Three years later, Gerbrandy resigned as a Member of Parliament.

Personal life

On 18 May 1911, Gerbrandy married Hendrina Elisabeth Sikkel (26 February 1886 – 4 May 1980).[4][5][6] Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy died on 7 September 1961 in The Hague, at the age of 76.

Decorations
Honours
Ribbon barHonourCountryDateComment
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Netherlands 6 May 1946 Elevated from Knight (28 August 1930)
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 5 April 1955
Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau Luxembourg
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire United Kingdom [7]
Honorific Titles
Ribbon barHonourCountryDateComment
Minister of State Netherlands 5 April 1955 Style of Excellency

References
  1. (in Dutch) GERBRANDIJ, Pieter (1885–1961)
  2. see www.tresoar.nl, under Familinamen 1811
  3. Gerbrandy, P. S. (Pieter Sjoerds) (1950). Indonesia. Hutchinson, London
  4. "Hendrina Elisabeth Sikkel (1886-1980) » Stamboom Kok, Jagt, Bottinga, Maarhuis en Kuiper » Genealogie Online". www.genealogieonline.nl. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017.
  5. "Hendrina Elisabeth Gerbrandy". Geni. 26 February 1886. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  6. "Gerbrandy, Pieter Sjoerds". WW2 Gravestone. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  7. "Bijzondere onderscheidingen gevonden in archief Gerbrandy" (in Dutch). Omrop Fryslân. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
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