Gijsbert Michiel Vredenrijk "Gijs" van Aardenne (18 March 1930 – 10 August 1995) was a Dutch politician of the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...
(VVD) and businessperson.
Van Aardenne studied
Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
and
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
at the
Leiden University simultaneously obtaining a
Master of Physics A Master of Physics honours (or MPhys (Hons)) degree is a specific master's degree for courses in the field of physics.
United Kingdom
In England and Wales, the MPhys is an undergraduate award available after pursuing a four-year course of study a ...
and
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
degree. Van Aardenne worked for a corporate director for an iron manufacturer company in
Dordrecht
Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
from September 1957 until December 1970 and as
CEO from February 1968. Van Aardenne became a
Member of the House of Representatives on 18 February 1971 serving until 10 May 1971 and shortly after the
election of 1971 returned to the House of Representatives on 3 August 1971 and served as a
frontbencher
In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then kn ...
chairing the
House Committee for Patent Act Reforms and as
spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
for
Social Affairs
A Ministry of Social Affairs or Department of Social Affairs is the common name for a government department found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments. While there is some variation in the responsibilities of ...
and
Welfare
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
. After the
election of 1977 Van Aardenne was appointed as
Minister of Economic Affairs in the
Cabinet Van Agt-Wiegel taking office on 19 December 1977. After the
election of 1981 Van Aardenne returned to the House of Representatives on 25 August 1981 and served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for
Finance. After the
election of 1982 Van Aardenne was appointed as
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...
and Minister of Economic Affairs in the
Cabinet Lubbers I taking office on 4 November 1982. In February 1985 Van Aardenne announced that he wouldn't stand for the
election of 1986 following a critical
parliamentary inquiry
In parliamentary procedure, requests and inquiries are motions used by members of a deliberative assembly to obtain information or to do or have something done that requires permission of the assembly. Except for a request to be excused from a duty ...
and announced his retirement.
Van Aardenne semi-retired from active politics at 56 and became active in the
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
and
public sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, infra ...
s as a corporate and non-profit director and served on several
state commissions and councils on behalf of the government and as an occasional mediator for
cabinet formations, and worked as a trade association executive serving as Chairman of the
Hospitals association from May 1987 until June 1995 and a
Member of the Social and Economic Council for the
Industry and Employers confederation (VNO-NCW) from May 1987 until June 1995. Van Aardenne returned to active in politics and after the
Senate election of 1995 was elected as a
Member of the Senate on 13 June 1995. In July 1994 Van Aardenne was diagnosed with a
progressive form of
ALS which resulted in him needing to use a wheelchair by December 1994, due to the progression of his illness he wasn't able to attend Senate meetings after his installation and died just two months later in August 1995 at the age of 65. Van Aardenne was known for his abilities as an effective
consensus builder and skillful
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
. He holds the distinction as the longest-serving Minister of Economic Affairs after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
with 7 years, 153 days.
Biography
Early life
Van Aardenne was the son of a surgeon and studied mathematics and physics at
Leiden University. After his studies he was employed at a steel factory in
Dordrecht
Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
, becoming its general manager from 1967 to 1971.
Politics
He joined the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...
(VVD) in 1958 and was a Member of Parliament between 1971 and 1977, and again in 1981. He became minister of economic affairs in the
First Van Agt cabinet
The First Van Agt cabinet, also called the Van Agt–Wiegel cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 19 December 1977 until 11 September 1981. The cabinet was formed by the christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal ( ...
(1977–81).
Nuclear energy
Nuclear energy may refer to:
*Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity
* Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom
*Nuclear potential energy
...
and problems in the shipbuilding industry were prominent issues during these years. He took the same post as well as Deputy Prime Minister in the first
First Lubbers cabinet
The First Lubbers cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 4 November 1982 until 14 July 1986. The cabinet was formed by the christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the conservative-liberal People's Part ...
(1982–1986).
He got into political trouble for downplaying the financial struggles of the
Rijn-Schelde-Verolme
The shipbuilding company Rijn-Schelde-Verolme Machinefabrieken en Scheepswerven NV (RSV) was a combination of shipbuilding companies and machine factories founded in 1971. In 1983 the company went broke with a staggering loss of public money. It l ...
shipyard, which would collapse in 1983 in spite of many years of large financial support from the government. For this reason he was omitted from the 1986 Lubbers cabinet.
Van Aardenne remained politically active, amongst others acting in the formation of the first
Kok cabinet in 1994 and rejecting the post of minister of finances in that. By then he had been diagnosed with
ALS, which resulted in him needing to use a wheel chair. He died from ALS in 1995.
Decorations
References
External links
;Official
*
Drs. G.M.V. (Gijs) van AardenneParlement & Politiek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aardenne, Gijs van
1930 births
1995 deaths
20th-century Dutch businesspeople
20th-century Dutch economists
20th-century Dutch mathematicians
20th-century Dutch politicians
Aldermen of Dordrecht
Businesspeople from Rotterdam
Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Deaths from motor neuron disease
Deputy Prime Ministers of the Netherlands
Dutch accountants
Dutch chief executives in the manufacturing industry
Dutch corporate directors
Dutch lobbyists
Dutch nonprofit directors
Dutch nonprofit executives
Dutch politicians with disabilities
Dutch trade association executives
Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Leiden University alumni
Leiden University faculty
Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands)
Members of the Senate (Netherlands)
Members of the Social and Economic Council
Ministers of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands
Ministers of Finance of the Netherlands
Municipal councillors of Dordrecht
Neurological disease deaths in the Netherlands
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy politicians
Politicians from Rotterdam
Politicians with paraplegia
Scientists from Rotterdam
Scientists with disabilities