Otto Willem Arnold

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

van Verschuer, lord of Mariënwaerdt, Echteld and Enspijk (22 July 1927 – 4 June 2014) was a Dutch politician. He served in the

States of Gelderland The States of Gelderland ( nl, Staten van Gelderland, ) are the States-Provincial for the Netherlands, Dutch Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Gelderland. It forms the legislative body of the province. Its 55 seats are distributed every fo ...

between 1962 and 1978, while being part of the Executive of the same province from 1965. Verschuer was member of the Dutch Council of State between 1978 and 1983.

Biography

Otto van Verschuer was born on 22 July 1927 in home Hooge Spijk at family estate Mariënwaerdt, in

Beesd Beesd is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and lies about 16 km west of Tiel. It is situated near the river Linge and has a railway station on the railway from Dordrecht to Gelderma ...

, to Wolter Frans Frederik, baron van Verschuer and Willemine Louisa Maria, baroness van Heemstra. He went to high school in Arnhem and went on to study Indisch law (law of the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

) at Utrecht University, graduating in 1953. He was rentmeester of the crown domains of Culemborg-Tiel-Grave-Arnhem between 1958 and 1971. He entered the

for the Christian Historical Union on 6 June 1962. From 1 March 1965 he concurrently was member of the Provincial-Executive, tasked with spatial planning and agriculture. He left his provincial positions on 7 June 1978. Several months later, in September 1978, he became acting mayor of Wageningen, after the previous mayor had died. Verschuer was extraordinary member of the Council of State between 1 October 1978 and 25 April 1979. On that latter date he was made a regular member, and continued serving until 1 June 1983. In January 1979 he was offered membership of the Dutch

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

but declined. Apart from his political career Verschuer served as chair of the

Royal Dutch Touring Club The Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB (), known simply as ANWB (), is a travelers' association in the Netherlands, supporting all modes of travel. It provides test reports, travel services and roadside assistance and is comparable to the German ''Al ...

between 1988 and 1995. He also spent a large part of his time of his time conserving the family estate Mariënwaerdt in Beesd. His father had already told him he was to be successor to the estate at age 10. He was made Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 1978 and Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 1993. Verschuer served as chamberlain to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands for a long time. He also received an honorary cross of the

Order of the House of Orange The Order of the House of Orange (Dutch: ''Huisorde van Oranje''), sometimes referred to as the House Order of Orange, is a dynastic order of the House of Orange-Nassau, the royal family of the Netherlands similar to the Royal Victorian Order in ...

. He died on 4 June 2014. He was buried in the family grave on the estate Mariënwaerdt in Beesd. Dignitaries at his burial included former prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and Herman Wijffels.

References

External links

Biography on Parlement.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verschuer, Otto van 1927 births 2014 deaths People from Geldermalsen Barons of the Netherlands Lords of the Netherlands Utrecht University alumni Van Heemstra (family) Chairmen of the Christian Historical Union Christian Historical Union politicians 20th-century Dutch politicians Christian Democratic Appeal politicians Mayors of Wageningen Members of the Provincial Council of Gelderland Members of the Provincial-Executive of Gelderland Members of the Council of State (Netherlands) Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau