Arthur Johan May (2 July 1903 – 8 February 1979) was a Surinamese and Dutch civil servant, and served as acting

Prime Minister of Suriname This article lists the prime ministers of Suriname from 1949 to 1988. In 1988 the position of Prime Minister of Suriname was abolished and replaced by a Vice President, who chairs the Council of Ministers ex officio. List of prime ministers ;P ...

in 1969.

Biography

May was born on 2 July 1903 in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

. He studied to become a civil servant. From 1945 to 1947, he was stationed in

Commewijne District Commewijne is a district of Suriname, located on the right bank of the Suriname River. Commewijne's capital city is Nieuw Amsterdam. Tamanredjo is another major town, while Meerzorg is the most populated. The district has a population of 31,4 ...

, and temporarily served as District Commissioner for Marowijne. In 1947, he was appointed government secretary. In 1948, May was asked to form the first ''College van Algemeen Bestuur'' (cabinet) in the run up to the first election with

universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...

. From 3 April 1948 until 18 June 1949, he served as president of the ''College van Algemeen Bestuur''. After the 1949 elections, he moved to the Netherlands, and worked for the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

. In 1966, he was appointed Director Western Hemisphere. In August 1968, he retired and returned to Suriname. In 1969, the government of Pengel fell. May was asked to form a temporary government. From 5 March 1969 until 20 November, May served as acting

and Interior Minister. May died on 8 February 1979 in

Leidschendam Leidschendam () is a town and former municipality in the province of South Holland of the Netherlands. Along with Voorburg and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg. History The town's name has been in use for centurie ...

, at the age of 75.

Honours

* Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

References

1903 births 1979 deaths Prime Ministers of Suriname People from Paramaribo Dutch_civil_servants Government ministers of Suriname Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau {{Suriname-politician-stub