Geertje Lycklama à Nijeholt (2 April 1938 – 18 November 2014) was a Dutch politician and women and development studies scholar. She served as a member of the Senate of the Netherlands between 1995 and 2003 for the Labour Party. She was group leader in the Senate between 1999 and 2003. As a scientist she spend 16 years at the

International Institute of Social Studies The International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam is an independent and international graduate school of policy-oriented critical social science. ISS was established in 1952 by Dutch universities and the Neth ...

, of which five as rector.

Career

Lycklama à Nijeholt was born on 2 April 1938 in

Lollum Lollum is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 360 in January 2017. There is a restored windmill, ''Meerswal'' in the village. History The village was first mentioned in th ...

, a rural village in

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

, as member of the prominent family. Her father was an agrarian and municipal council member of

Wûnseradiel Wûnseradiel () is a former municipality in the Friesland province of the northern Netherlands, at the eastern end of the ''Afsluitdijk''. The official (legal) name of the municipality is in the West Frisian language, though it is known as Wonsera ...

. She received her primary education in Lollum and later went to school in

Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on thr ...

and

Sneek Sneek (; fy, Snits) is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and the seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. As of 2011 it is the seat of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân (Southwest Friesland). T ...

. In 1956 she went to Amsterdam to study Western sociology at the

VU University Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...

, earning her degree in 1963. In 1962 she travelled to India and Pakistan to study Islam and the history of the countries. In October 1970 she took up a position as research assistant at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

, United States. One year later she was promoted to project director. Between 1973 and 1976 she worked on her thesis titled ''Migratory and Nonmigratory Farm Workers on the East Coast of the United States'' at both Cornell University as the VU University. She earned the title of

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

in 1976 at the VU University. Lycklama à Nijeholt returned to the Netherlands and between 1977 and 1983 she coordinator of international women's affairs at the Dutch Foreign Ministry. Between 1979 and 1984 she was also guest professor at

Wageningen University and Research Centre Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...

. She was professor of women and development studies at the

(ISS) between August 1983 and June 1990. At that point she became the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the Institute, which she stayed until June 1995. When her position as rector ended she became member of the Senate of the Netherlands for the Labour Party. She served between 1995 and 2003, and was group leader from 1999. During her first term (1995–1999) in the Senate she was part-time professor at the ISS. She was member of the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen. Lycklama à Nijeholt received the on 8 April 1992. She was made Knight in the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

on 31 May 1995. She died on 18 November 2014 after having been ill for several months. Dutch Prime Minister

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since 2006. After a business career working for Unileve ...

spoke some words of remembrance on 2 December 2014 in the Senate, noting her role of putting forward women's rights in the Dutch foreign policy.

References

External links

*
Parlement.com biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lycklama a Nijeholt, Geertje 1938 births 2014 deaths People from Wûnseradiel Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni Cornell University faculty Wageningen University and Research faculty International Institute of Social Studies faculty Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians Members of the Senate (Netherlands) Members of the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion