Aarnoud Jan Anne Aleid, Baron van Heemstra (22 July 1871 – 30 December 1957) was a Dutch nobleman,

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

and politician. He served as mayor of Arnhem between 1910 and 1920, and

Governor-General of Suriname This is a list of colonial governors of Suriname, a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Suriname was first colonized by the Bri ...

from 1921 until 1928. Van Heemstra was the grandfather of

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...

Life and career

He was a member of the

Van Heemstra Van Heemstra is a family that belongs to the Dutch nobility. History The family is of Frisians, Frisian origin. The genealogy of the family begins with ''Taecke Obbema Heemstra'', mentioned as a voting representative (nobleman) in Oostergo in 1 ...

family and was born in Vreeland, the son of Wilhelmina Cornelia (née de Beaufort, 1843–1927) and Willem Hendrik Johan Baron van Heemstra (1841–1909), the mayor of Loenen. He studied at Utrecht University where he obtained his doctorate in law in 1896. Van Heemstra established himself in Arnhem where he was prosecuting lawyer. In 1902 he was appointed official at the district court in Roermond and in October 1909 deputy public prosecutor at the arrondissement court of Maastricht. In 1910 he became mayor of the city of Arnhem. He resigned in 1920 after a budget dispute, and was succeeded by Dirk Jan de Geer. In 1921, van Heemstra was appointed

governor of Suriname This is a list of colonial governors of Suriname, a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Suriname was first colonized by the British ...

by Queen Wilhelmina. He started to focus on the economy of the colony, and develop the potential of the bauxite reserves. In 1922,

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opened the first bauxite factory in

Moengo Moengo () is a town in Suriname, located in the Marowijne district, between Paramaribo and the border town Albina on the Cottica River. Moengo is also a resort (municipality) in the district of Marowijne. Moengo was the capital of Marowijne Distr ...

. He tried to attract German mining companies, but was blocked by the

States General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States ...

. In May 1924, he applied for a short leave, but did not return until 23 January 1925. He was reinstalled on 21 February 1925. There were several conflicts with the

Estates of Suriname The National Assembly (''De Nationale Assemblée'', ''The Assembly'', commonly abbreviated "DNA") is the Parliament, representing the legislative branch of government in Suriname. It is a unicameral legislature. The assembly has been situated in ...

who called for his resignation. In 1928, he resigned as governor after a conflict with the States General. Van Heemstra returned to the Arnhem region, and became editor-in-chief of ''Politiek Economisch Weekblad'', a political economic magazine published until 1940. He was originally pro-German and pro-Japan, however during the late 1930s, he started to change his mind. Van Heemstra refused to collaborate with the NSB during World War II. In 1942, the German occupiers confiscated most of his possessions, including his estate . He moved to Oosterbeek and later Velp. On 15 Augustus 1942, his son-in-law Otto graaf van

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was executed in retaliation for a sabotage by the resistance movement. After this, his widowed daughter Miesje (1897–1987) and his divorced daughter Ella (1900–1984) lived with him in Velp, along with Ella's youngest child, the future actress

(1929–1993). Van Heemstra died in Oosterbeek on 30 December 1957, at the age of 86.

Family

In 1896, he married Elbrig Willemine Henriette Baroness van Asbeck (1873–1939), who was a granddaughter of Dirk van Hogendorp. They had six children: * Wilhelmina Cornelia (Miesje) Baroness van Heemstra (1897–1987), married to Otto Graaf van

(1893–1942) * Geraldine Caroline Baroness van Heemstra (1898–1965) * Ella Baroness van Heemstra (1900–1984), mother of actress

* Marianne Jacqueline Baroness van Heemstra (1903–1991),

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to Princess and later Queen

Juliana of the Netherlands Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...

* Willem Hendrik Johan Baron van Heemstra (1907–1978) * Arnoudina Johanna Baroness van Heemstra (1911–1975) In 1947, eight years after the death of his first wife, Van Heemstra married a second time, to Anna Eliza Roosenburg (1901–1988). They remained married until his death in 1957.

Honours

* Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion * Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau * Grand Officer of the

Order of the House of Orange The Order of the House of Orange (Dutch: ''Huisorde van Oranje''), sometimes referred to as the House Order of Orange, is a dynastic order of the House of Orange-Nassau, the royal family of the Netherlands similar to the Royal Victorian Order in ...

References

HEEMSTRA, Aarnoud Jan Anne Aleid baron van (1871–1957)
at historici.nl. (in Dutch) {{DEFAULTSORT:Heemstra, Aarnoud Van 1871 births 1957 deaths Aarnoud Aarnoud Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Dutch jurists Governors of Suriname Knights of the Order of Saint John in the Netherlands Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Mayors of Arnhem People from Loenen Utrecht University alumni