Jacobus Jan Vorrink, better known as Koos Vorrink (7 June 1891 – 19 July 1955), was a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

leader in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Early life

Koos Vorrink was born on 7 June 1891 in

Vlaardingen Vlaardingen () is a city in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river at the confluence with the Oude Maas. The municipality administers an area of , of which is land, with residents in . Geogr ...

, in the Dutch province of

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

. He started his career as a schoolteacher. On 1 November 1920 he became secretary of the Arbeiders Jeugd Organisatie (AJC), the Dutch socialist youth movement. On 11 May 1924 he became chairman of the socialist youth movement. On 13 July 1916 he married Irene Hendrika Bergmeijer. Together they had two daughters. Only one daughter survived,

Irene Vorrink Irene Vorrink (7 January 1918 – 21 August 1996) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA). She was born on 7 January 1918 in The Hague as the daughter of the Dutch socialist leader Koos Vorrink. She studied ...

(7 January 1918 - 21 August 1996), who would become

minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

in the cabinet Den Uyl (1973–1977). Vorrinks career progressed as he became chairman of the

SDAP SDAP may refer to: * Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands), a Dutch political party founded in 1894 that later merged into the Labour Party (Netherlands) * Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany, a German political party founded in 18 ...

, the Dutch socialist party before

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 ...

, on 1 April 1934. He would remain chairman of the SDAP until January 1946.

Life during World War II

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

occupied the Netherlands in 1940 Vorrink tried in vain to escape to England. After his failed attempt to escape he went into hiding to avoid being taken prisoner by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

occupational forces. He was a member of the Dutch resistance, notably as an editor of the underground newspaper "

Het Parool ''Het Parool'' () is an Amsterdam-based daily newspaper. It was first published on 10 February 1941 as a resistance paper during the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940–1945). In English, its name means ''The Password'' or ''The Motto' ...

". On 1 April 1943 he was interned by the German occupational forces, first in the Scheveningen prison, later on in the

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

Sachsenhausen Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners ...

, near

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Later life

In July 1945 he was appointed as a civil servant by prime-minister

Willem Schermerhorn Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn (17 December 1894 – 10 March 1977) was a Dutch politician who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 25 June 1945 until 3 July 1946. He was a member of the now-defunct Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) a ...

. Vorrink was charged with the arrest and prosecution of Dutch war criminals and political delinquents. Together with

Hendrik Brugmans Hendrik Brugmans (13 December 1906 in Amsterdam – 12 March 1997 in Bruges) also known as Hendrik Bupatis was the son of historian Hajo Brugmans and Maria Keizer. He studied history of French literature at the Universiteit van Amsterdam and the ...

, Vorrink was the first Dutch civil servant with a political background (nicknamed 'The Schermerboys"). After the elections of 1946 he became a member of parliament, as a member of the social-democratic PvdA. He remained a member of parliament until 1954. As a member of parliament he was well known for his

anti-communism Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

. Vorrink therefore became the subject of a

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

campaign of slander. As his rhetorical qualities were famous, in parliament he acted as the defence spokesman of the PvdA. In February 1955 Vorrink suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. He died on July 19, 1955 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

External links

Profile on Parlement.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorrink, Koos 1891 births 1955 deaths Dutch educators Dutch resistance members Dutch political party founders Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians Members of the Executive of the Labour and Socialist International Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Members of the Senate (Netherlands) Chairmen of the Labour Party (Netherlands) People from Vlaardingen Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands) politicians