Gerard Jacob Theodoor Beelaerts van Blokland (12 January 1843 – 14 March 1897) was a Dutch politician known for serving as European envoy for the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...

from 1884 to 1897, and as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1888 to 1891.

Biography

Early life

Gerard Jacob Theodoor was born in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

, into the

Beelaerts van Blokland Beelaerts van Blokland is an old Dutch patrician family. History The family came originally from the Dutch town Oirschot. The oldest recorded member is a one Zeger Lycop who lived in the 14th century. His grandson Henric was the first to carry t ...

family – an old Dutch patrician family and members of the Dutch nobility since 1815. His grandfather served as attorney-general and secretary of justice of the

Dutch Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie) was a Dutch United East India Company (VOC) colony in Southern Africa, centered on the Cape of Good Hope, from where it derived its name. The original colony and its successive states that the colony was inco ...

and British Cape Colony, respectively. His father was born in the Cape.

Career

After completing his studies, Beelaerts started his career working as lawyer at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands and as clerk in the Netherlands Department of Justice eventually rising to the rank of legal secretary. As a lawyer, he was a member of various state committees. From 1883 until 1894, he served as member in the Dutch House of Representatives and as Speaker of the House from 1888 until 1891. He also served as member of the Provincial Legislature of South Holland from 1888 until 1892. He was appointed Knight of 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 ...

by royal decree. The Beelaerts van Blokland family were orthodox Protestants and maintained a long-standing interest in South Africa. Beelaerts was a member of a committee to aid the cause of the Boers in the South African Republic. He served as legal adviser to the Boer delegation to London to review the

Pretoria Convention The Pretoria Convention was the peace treaty that ended the First Boer War (16 December 1880 to 23 March 1881) between the Transvaal Boers and Great Britain. The treaty was signed in Pretoria on 3 August 1881, but was subject to ratification by ...

of 1883. From 1884, Beelaerts served as resident for the South African Republic and from 1889, he served as envoy representing the South African Republic in Europe. He performed this function without compensation until his death in 1897. He also served as ''commissaire général'' of the South African delegation at the

1894 World Exhibition The Antwerp International Exposition ( nl, Wereldtentoonstelling van Antwerpen, french: Exposition Internationale d'Anvers) was a world's fair held in Antwerp, Belgium, between 5 May and 5 November 1894. It covered , attracted 3 million visit ...

in Antwerp.

Death

Beelaerts died in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

on 14 March 1897. Archives relating to Beelaerts are located in the

Nationaal Archief The Nationaal Archief (NA) is the national archives of the Netherlands, located in The Hague. It houses collections for the central government, the province of South Holland, and the former County of Holland. There is also material from private ...

in The Hague and the Zuid-Afrikahuis in Amsterdam. A collection of South African objects gathered by Gerard Jacob Theodoor and his son Cornelis were donated to the

Museum Volkenkunde The National Museum of Ethnology (Museum Volkenkunde), is an ethnographic museum in the Netherlands located in the university city of Leiden. As of 2014, the museum, along with the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Africa Museum in Berg en Dal, ...

in Leiden in 1941, where they make up part of the South African collection.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beelaerts van Blokland, Gerard 1843 births 1897 deaths 19th-century Dutch diplomats Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Politicians from Rotterdam People of the Second Boer War South African diplomats Diplomats from Rotterdam Lawyers from Rotterdam