Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (born Pieter Gerbrandij; 13 April 1885 – 7 September 1961) was a Dutch politician and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 3 September 1940 until 25 June 1945. He oversaw the government-in-exile based in London under Queen Wilhelmina during the German occupation of the Netherlands. He was a member of the now-defunct Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), later merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

Early life

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy was born on 13 April 1885 in the village of

Goënga Goënga ( fry, Goaiïngea) is a village in Súdwest-Fryslân municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 240 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 13th century as Goingum, and ...

near Sneek, in the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands. He was an ethnic Frisian, and his name is styled in the traditional Frisian way: first name ("Pieter"), patronymic ("Sjoerds", meaning "son of Sjoerd"), family name (Gerbrandy). Incidentally, the name Gerbrandy is also a patronymic; his great-great-grandfather Jouke Gerbrens (1769–1840) took 'Gerbrandy’ as a family name on 30 December 1811. Pieter applied to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in June 1904, majoring in Law. He would obtain a doctorate in Law in January 1911, and proceeded to work as a lawyer and prosecutor from 1911 until 1920.

Politics

Gerbrandy was a member of the Municipal Council of Sneek from April 1916 until January 1930, the Provincial-Council of Friesland from July 1919 until August 1920, and the Provincial-Executive of Friesland from August 1920 until January 1930. From 1920 to 1930, he was a member of the Provincial Council of Friesland for the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). He also served as Minister of Justice in 1939, against his party's wishes.

World War II

Due to the German victory of the Battle of the Netherlands in 1940, the Dutch royal family and many leading politicians fled to London and formed a government-in-exile. This, combined with Dirk Jan de Geer's resignation the same year, resulted in Queen Wilhelmia appointing Gerbrandy as prime minister of the Dutch government-in-exile. He also served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Colonial Affairs.

Post-war

After the liberation of the south in 1945, Gerbrandy formed a new cabinet, but resigned after the total liberation of the Netherlands. He opposed the government's "Indonesian policy", and from 1946 to 1950 chaired the National Committee for the Maintenance of the Kingdom's Unity, which opposed Indonesian independence and advocated for the

Republic of the South Moluccas South Maluku, also South Moluccas, officially the Republic of South Maluku, was an unrecognised secessionist republic that claimed the islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram, which make up the Indonesian province of Maluku. Dutch conquest exerte ...

. In 1950, Gerbrandy published ''Indonesia'', which offered an explanation of the history of the relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia, then the Dutch East Indies, from the 1600s to 1948, which included "The Indies under Dutch rule", "The Rule of Law", "The Japanese Occupation", and "Chaos", with each section outlining Gerbrandy's observations. In 1948, Gerbrandy returned as a member of the Dutch Parliament; however, his hot temper alienated members of his party. In 1956, he was made member of a commission that investigated the affair surrounding Greet Hofmans. Three years later, Gerbrandy resigned as a member of Parliament.

Personal life

On 18 May 1911, Gerbrandy married Hendrina Elisabeth Sikkel (26 February 1886 – 4 May 1980). Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy died on 7 September 1961 in The Hague, at the age of 76.

Decorations

References

External links

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Mr.Dr. P.S. (Pieter) Gerbrandy
Parlement & Politiek {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerbrandy, Pieter Sjoerds 1885 births 1961 deaths Anti-Revolutionary Party politicians Dutch anti-communists Dutch expatriates in England 20th-century Dutch judges Dutch legal scholars Dutch lobbyists Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch people of World War II Dutch political activists Dutch political commentators Dutch political writers Dutch prosecutors Foreign policy writers Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Alumni_of_the_University_of_Edinburgh Intellectual property law scholars Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Members of the Provincial Council of Friesland Members of the Provincial-Executive of Friesland Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Ministers of Colonial Affairs of the Netherlands Ministers of Justice of the Netherlands Ministers of State (Netherlands) Municipal councillors in Friesland People from Sneek Politicians from The Hague Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Reformed Churches Christians from the Netherlands Royal Netherlands Army officers Scholars of property law Scholars of competition law Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam faculty World War II political leaders 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch educators 20th-century Dutch male writers 20th-century Dutch military personnel 20th-century Dutch politicians