Francisco Dominico "Frans" Figaroa (3 September 1927 – 6 October 1993) was an
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 ...
n politician who served as
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
of Aruba from 1979 until 1982, figaroa previously served as President of the
Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles
The Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles (; ), also translated as the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles, was the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles. It comprised 22 members, elected for a four-year term in three multi-seat constituencies a ...
(1973-1979) and Minister of Education of the
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
(1961-1962), Figaroa also served as chairman of the
Aruba Football Federation
The Arubaanse Voetbal Bond is the governing body of football in Aruba. Its headquarters are at Frans Figaroa sports complex in the city of Noord. It's a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional football, includin ...
and chairman of the
Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee
The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, ( nl, Nederlands Antilliaans Olympisch Comité; pap, Comité Olímpico di Antia Hulandes) generally abbreviated NAOC was a member of the IOC from 1950 to 2011. It constituted the National Olympic Commit ...
.
Early life
Figaroa studied
meer uitgebreid lager onderwijs
Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (Dutch, "more advanced primary education") was during part of the twentieth century a level of education in the Netherlands (and the Dutch East Indies), comparable with the junior high school level in the US educatio ...
at the Saint Dominicus College in
Oranjestad. He then worked for several months at
Lago Oil and Transport Company
Lago Oil & Transport Co. Ltd. had its beginning in 1924 as a shipping company carrying crude oil from Lake Maracaibo to its transshipment facility on the island of Aruba.
History
With the discovery of a vast amount of crude oil under Lake M ...
. In 1944 he joined the civil service where he worked in administration at the
Water and Energy Company Aruba
Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
for 5 years, after which he worked in administration and mortgages. In 1949 he got a diploma in English correspondence, in 1952 he followed a course in administration of buildings, and in 1957 he got a diploma in Spanish.
[“Frans Figaroa gezaghebber”](_blank)
Amigoe
The ''Amigoe'' is a Dutch-language daily newspaper with editorials in Curaçao and whose audience are the peoples of the former Netherlands Antilles, specifically Curaçao and Aruba. The newspaper is one of the most widely read dailies in Aruba.
...
, 30 November 1979, reviewed on 28 March 2019
Political career
From 1 June 1961 until 2 November 1962 Figaroa was Minister for Education of the Netherlands Antilles in the
Second Jonckheer cabinet
The Second Jonckheer cabinet was the 2nd cabinet of the Netherlands Antilles.
Composition
The cabinet was composed as follows:
, Minister of General Affairs
, Efrain Jonckheer
, DP
, 3 October 1958
, -
, Minister of Social Affairs, Economic ...
, for the
Union Nacional Arubano (UNA). Afterwards from 1963 until 1967 he was a member of the
Island council of Aruba.
In 1971,
Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo
The People's Electoral Movement ( nl, Electorale Volksbeweging, pap, Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo, MEP) is a social democratic political party in Aruba.
following the 2001 general election for the Parliament of Aruba the party won 52.4% of ...
(MEP) was created as a new political party on the island of
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 the 1973, election the MEP gained 5 out of the 8 seats designated to Aruba in the
parliament of the Netherlands Antilles
The Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles (; ), also translated as the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles, was the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles. It comprised 22 members, elected for a four-year term in three multi-seat constituencies a ...
, and became the largest party. As such in 1975 Figaroa was elected chairman of the parliament of the
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
.
[Gesprek Vondeling met voorzitters staten begonnen](_blank)
Amigoe
The ''Amigoe'' is a Dutch-language daily newspaper with editorials in Curaçao and whose audience are the peoples of the former Netherlands Antilles, specifically Curaçao and Aruba. The newspaper is one of the most widely read dailies in Aruba.
...
, 18 September 1975, reviewed on 14 January 2017 During his tenure
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
, another country within the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
, became independent. Figaroa lead the envoy of Netherlands Antilles representatives during the Suriname independence debates in the Dutch
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. In preparation of these debates Figaroa hosted the chair of the Dutch House of Representatives,
Anne Vondeling
Anne Vondeling (2 March 1916 – 22 November 1979) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and agronomist.
Vondeling studied Agronomy at the Wageningen Agricultural College obtaining a Master of Science in Engineering degree and wor ...
, and the
chair of the parliament of Suriname,
Emile Wijntuin
Emile Linus Alfred Wijntuin (22 September 1924 – 7 May 2020) was a Surinamese politician who served as Chairman of the National Assembly of Suriname from 1975 until the aftermath of the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état. Wijntuin was a member of th ...
, in September 1975, since the Netherlands Antilles was considered a neutral party in these discussions.
From 1979 until 1982, Figaroa was lieutenant governor of Aruba (
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
: ''gezaghebber''). The lieutenant governor of Aruba was the highest official on the island, and worked together with the governor of the Netherlands Antilles, who was stationed on the island of
Curacao. The lieutenant governor was chair of the
Island council and lead the islands executive office. He represented Aruba in court, was head of law enforcement, and represented both the Dutch government and the government of the Netherlands Antilles.
Queen
Beatrix
Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "bles ...
, together with her husband prince
Claus Claus (sometimes Clas) is both a given name and a German, Danish, and Dutch surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (1907–1944), a German officer who, along with others, attempted to assassina ...
, visited the Netherlands Antilles from 28 October until 8 November 1980, as her first official visit as queen. On 29 October they visited Aruba, where they were received by lieutenant governor Figaroa. The queen lay the first stone for the new
National Library of Aruba
The National Library of Aruba (Papiamento: ''Biblioteca Nacional Aruba'', BNA) is the main library of Aruba. It is located in Oranjestad and holds more than 100,000 volumes.
BNA serves as both the national and the public library of Aruba. It was ...
and lent her name to the local airport,
Queen Beatrix International Airport
Queen Beatrix International Airport ( nl, Internationale luchthaven Koningin Beatrix; pap, Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix), colloquially known as Aruba Airport , is an international airport located in Oranjestad, Aruba. It has flight s ...
.
In 1986, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles and became a country within the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
. From 1986 until his death in 1993, Figaroa was a member of the newly created ''Advisory Council of Aruba''. This council advises the Aruban government and parliament on cases of law and government.
Figaroa was a member of the
Latin American Parliament
The Latin American Parliament (''Parlatino'') is a regional, permanent organization composed by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a consultative assembly similar to the early European Parliament. Currently the institution ...
, serving on the ''education, culture, science, technology and communication committee''.
[“Ex-gezaghebber Frans Figaroa (65) overleden”](_blank)
Amigoe
The ''Amigoe'' is a Dutch-language daily newspaper with editorials in Curaçao and whose audience are the peoples of the former Netherlands Antilles, specifically Curaçao and Aruba. The newspaper is one of the most widely read dailies in Aruba.
...
, 6 October 1993, reviewed on 28 March 2019
Sports
Figaroa was founder of
SV Jong Aruba, chair of the
Aruba Football Federation
The Arubaanse Voetbal Bond is the governing body of football in Aruba. Its headquarters are at Frans Figaroa sports complex in the city of Noord. It's a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional football, includin ...
and chair of the
Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee
The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, ( nl, Nederlands Antilliaans Olympisch Comité; pap, Comité Olímpico di Antia Hulandes) generally abbreviated NAOC was a member of the IOC from 1950 to 2011. It constituted the National Olympic Commit ...
.
Honours
In 1980, Figaroa was created an 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 ...
.
Lintjesregen daalde neer
Reformatorisch Dagblad
The ''Reformatorisch Dagblad'' (; " Reformed Daily") is a Dutch Protestant newspaper with a circulation of around 60,000, headquartered in Apeldoorn. The conservative newspaper was founded in 1971 and is associated with the Reformed Political Part ...
, 29 April 1980, page 9; on Digibron, Knowledge Centre for the Reformed Community, reviewed on 14 January 2017 The Frans Figaroa sports complex (Papiamento
Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Arub ...
: ''Centro Deportiva Frans Figaroa'') in the city of Noord
Noord () is a town and region in Aruba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). This town is known for its low rise and high rise hotels, restaurants, beaches, malls, the California Lighthouse, and other places of attraction.
Places of interest ...
was named after him. At the sports complex stands a bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
*Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazine ...
of Figaroa. A 6-kilometer part of the highway route 2 on Aruba was named after him, the ''Caya Frans Figaroa''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figaroa, Frans
1927 births
1993 deaths
Governors of Aruba
People's Electoral Movement (Aruba) politicians
Speakers of the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles