Jonkheer (female equivalent: ; french: Écuyer; en, Squire) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used by the untitled nobility. In Belgium, this is the ...

Titus Anthony Jacob van Asch van Wijck (29 August 1849 – 9 September 1902) was a Dutch nobleman, politician and colonial

Governor of Suriname This is a list of colonial governors of Suriname, a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Suriname was first colonized by the British ...

. He served as governor of Suriname (27 June 1891 – 12 May 1896) and colonial minister (1 August 1901 – 9 September 1902) in the government of

Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper (; ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist theologian and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upo ...

. He was a leading member of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). He twice served as mayor of Amersfoort.

Biography

Van Asch van Wijck was born on 29 August 1849 in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

, Netherlands. He was the son of Matthias Margarethus van Asch van Wijck and the grandson of Hubert Matthijs Adriaan Jan van Asch van Wijck, both Dutch politicians. In 1875, he graduated from the University of Utrecht. In 1880, van Asch van Wijck started working for the Ministry of War. On 29 September 1881, he was first elected to the House of Representatives. He would serve fives in parliament until 12 May 1891. He would also serve in the

States of Utrecht The Provincial Council of Utrecht ( nl, Staten van Utrecht, ) is the provincial council for the Dutch province of Utrecht. It forms the unicameral legislature of the province. Its 47 seats are distributed every four years in provincial elections ...

between 1 July 1885 and 1 June 1891, the Senate of the Netherlands between 15 September 1896 and 1 August 1901, and the municipal council of The Hague between 17 May 1898 and 1 January 1900. Van Asch van Wijck was mayor of Amersfoort between 1 August 1883 and 1 June 1891, and once again from 1 January 1900 to 1 August 1901. On 27 June 1891, van Asch van Wijck was appointed

. He would become a popular governor who strived from financial independence of Suriname. His views resulted in a conflict with the Ministry of Colonies. In 1894, he turned in his resignation, however Queen Emma refused to accept it. He would reform agriculture, build new roads and canals, and improve education. Another conflict with the Ministry of Colonies, resulted in his resignation on 12 May 1896. From 27 June 1891 until 12 May 1896, he would serve as Minister of Colonies in the cabinet of

. Van Asch van Wijck died on 9 September 1902 in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, at the age of 53.

Honours and legacy

* Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. The

Van Asch Van Wijck Mountains The Van Asch Van Wijck Mountains ( ''Van Asch van Wijckgebergte'') are a mountain range in Suriname. They are named after Titus van Asch van Wijck, a List of colonial heads of Suriname (Netherlands Guiana), governor of Suriname. The most highest ...

in Suriname are named after him.

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asch van Wijck, Titus Van 1849 births 1902 deaths Anti-Revolutionary Party politicians Jonkheers of the Netherlands Governors of Suriname Mayors in Utrecht (province) People from Amersfoort Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Members of the Provincial Council of Utrecht Members of the Senate (Netherlands) Ministers of Colonial Affairs of the Netherlands Municipal councillors of The Hague Politicians from Utrecht (city) Utrecht University alumni