Gerrit John Diekema (March 27, 1859 – December 20, 1930) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.

Biography

Diekema was born in Holland, Michigan, where he attended the common schools and graduated from Hope College in 1881. In 1883, he graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, and commenced practice in Holland.

Career

Diekema became a city attorney and a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives serving from 1885 to 1891 from Ottawa County 1st District, serving as speaker from 1889 to 1890. He became mayor of Holland in 1895 and chairman of the Michigan Republican Party ten consecutive years from 1900 to 1910. He was a delegate to the

1896 Republican National Convention The 1896 Republican National Convention was held in a temporary structure south of the St. Louis City Hall in Saint Louis, Missouri, from June 16 to June 18, 1896. Former Governor William McKinley of Ohio was nominated for president on the firs ...

and a member of the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission from 1901 until he resigned in May 1907. He was elected April 27, 1907, as a Republican from

Michigan's 5th congressional district Michigan's 5th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The district is represented by Republican Tim Walberg. Predecessors From 1873 to 1993, the 5th was based in the Grand Rapids a ...

to the Sixtieth Congress, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

William Alden Smith William Alden Smith (May 12, 1859 – October 11, 1932) was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. After the 1912 sinking of the ''Titanic'', Smith chaired the Senate hearings into the disaster. The audience ...

. He was subsequently re-elected to the

Sixty-first Congress The 61st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1909, to ...

, serving from May 15, 1907, to March 3, 1911. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1910 to the Sixty-second Congress and resumed the practice of law in Holland, Michigan. He became manager of the Republican Speakers’ Bureau in Chicago in 1912 and a candidate in the primary for

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

in 1916. He was a delegate to the

1924 Republican National Convention Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

from Michigan. After seventeen years he was re-elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, serving from 1927 to 1929, a record total of twelve years. Diekema was appointed

United States Minister to the Netherlands The United States diplomatic mission to the Netherlands consists of the embassy located in The Hague and a consular office located in Amsterdam. In 1782, John Adams was appointed America's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Holland. According t ...

by President Herbert Hoover on August 20, 1929, and served until December 1930.

Personal life

On December 20, 1930, Diekema died in The Hague, Netherlands. Diekema was interred in Pilgrim Home Cemetery, Holland, Michigan.

Bibliography

* *

References

*
Gerrit John Diekema entry
at The Political Graveyard

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diekema, Gerrit J. 1859 births 1930 deaths People from Holland, Michigan American people of Dutch descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Ambassadors of the United States to the Netherlands Michigan Republican Party chairs Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Mayors of places in Michigan Politicians from Chicago Hope College alumni Michigan lawyers University of Michigan Law School alumni Burials in Michigan