Pieter Lieftinck

Pieter "Piet" Lieftinck (30 September 1902 – 9 July 1989) was a Dutch politician of the Christian Historical Union (CHU) party and later the Labour Party (PvdA) and economist. Lieftinck applied at the Utrecht University in June 1919

majoring An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''conc ...

in Law and Economics and obtaining Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws degrees in July 1922 and worked as a student researcher before graduating with a Master of Economics and Master of Laws degree's in October 1927. Lieftinck served in the

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...

as a lieutenant from November 1927 until November 1928. Lieftinck applied at the Columbia University in New York City in April 1929 for a

postgraduate education Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...

and obtained an

Master of Financial Economics A master's degree in Financial Economics provides a Mathematical rigor, rigorous understanding of theory, theoretical finance and the economics, economic framework upon which that theory is based. The degree is postgraduate, and usually incorporates ...

degree in December 1930 and later returned to the Utrecht University where worked as a researcher and got a doctorate as an Doctor of Philosophy in Public economics on 10 December 1931. Lieftinck worked as civil servant for the

Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

, Commerce and Industry from August 1931 until May 1932 and for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour from May 1932 until June 1933 and the Ministry of Economic Affairs from June 1933 until October 1934 as Director-General of the department for General Economic Policy from June 1933 until October 1934. Lieftinck worked as a professor of Public economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam from 11 October 1934 until 30 March 1940. Lieftinck also served in the

military reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...

of the

and was

mobilized Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

in March 1940. On 10 May 1940 Nazi Germany

invaded An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

the Netherlands and the government fled to London to escape the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

. Lieftinck fought in the

Battle of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi Ge ...

and the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

and was captured following the capitulation and detained in Sint-Michielsgestel from October 1940 until he was transferred to Haren in November 1940 and was transferred to

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

in April 1941 and was released in January 1943. Following the end of World War II Queen Wilhelmina ordered the formation of a cabinet of national unity to reorganize the state and make preparations for new elections with Lieftinck appointed as Minister of Finance in the Cabinet Schermerhorn–Drees, taking office on 25 June 1945. On 9 February 1946 the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP), the Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) party and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party choose to merge to form the Labour Party (PvdA), Lieftinck left the Christian Historical Union and subsequently joined the Labour Party. After the election of 1946 Lieftinck was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 4 June 1946. Following the cabinet formation of 1946 Lieftinck continued as Minister of Finance in the Cabinet Beel I, taking office on 3 July 1946. In April 1948 Lieftinck announced that he wouldn't stand for the election of 1948 but wanted run for the

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 ...

. After the Senate election of 1948 Lieftinck was elected as a Member of the Senate, serving briefly from 27 July 1948 until 11 August 1948. After the election of 1948 Lieftinck continued as Minister of Finance in the Cabinet Drees–Van Schaik, taking office on 7 August 1948. The Cabinet Drees-Van Schaik fell on 24 January 1951 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1951 when it was replaced by Cabinet Drees I with Lieftinck remaining as Minister of Finance, taking office on 15 March 1951. In June 1952 Lieftinck was appointed as the Special Representative of the World Bank in Ankara, he resigned as Minister of Finance the same day he took office as the Special Representative of the World Bank on 1 July 1952. In September 1955 Lieftinck was nominated as an Executive Director of the World Bank Group and Executive Director for Benelux, Israel and Eastern Europe of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., taking office on 1 October 1955. Serving as Executive Director of the World Bank Group, from 1 October 1955 until 1 May 1971 and as Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund from 1 October 1955 until 1 December 1976. Lieftinck also became active in the private sector and public sector and served as a financial adviser for

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

from 1 August 1958 until 10 November 1975 and the

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...

from 25 April 1963 until September 1977. Lieftinck was known for his abilities as a

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and ''

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