Diederick Charles (DC) Mathew (February 26, 1928 – February 17, 1987) was a politician and teacher. He was a deputy commissioner for

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...

in 1964 and held this position for three years. He was also a member of Aruba's Island council ( Eilandsraad) 2 in 1962-1963 as well as a member of the “Staten” (Netherlands Antilles House of Representatives).

Early life

Diederick Charles Mathew was born February 26, 1928 to Abraham Mathew and Mary Eliza Arrindell on the island of

St. Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...

. In 1948 he moved to Aruba and completed his teacher's training. He taught at elementary schools in San Nicolaas until 1958.

Career

Diederick C. Mathew started his career in politics in 1951. For several years he worked tirelessly behind the scenes serving the community. He was also studying to become a lawyer, but decided to go full-time into politics. In 1954, was the first time he was listed as a candidate on the Partido Patriotico Arubano (P.P.A.) list to be elected member of the “Staten”. The following year in 1955 he also ran to be elected as a member of the Island's council (Eilandsraad). He was elected into this position 1955. DC Mathew has held several positions in his political career. D.C. Mathew retired after 35 years in Education and Civil Service on September 2, 1985.

Personal life

Diederick Charles Mathew was married twice. His first marriage was to Elise Ida Legrand and they had one son; Franklin. Elise passed away October 28, 1964 at age 30. His second marriage was to Ann Roumou, a school teacher and they had two children; Leroy and Marlene. They were married until his death in 1987.

Honours

On March 25, 1977, Diederick Charles Mathew received a civilian award medal for “Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau” or

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 ...

. This is a Dutch medal awarded to military members or civilians for their distinct contributions to society. DC Mathew received this honor in his capacity as civil servant, member of the island council, and representative.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathew, Diederick Charles Aruban Patriotic Party politicians Members of the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles Sint Maarten people Aruban educators Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau 1928 births 1987 deaths