Jhr. Frans Beelaerts van Blokland (21 January 1872,

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 o ...

– 27 March 1956, The Hague) was a Dutch

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and diplomat.

Personal life

After attending the private school, Van Bouscholte, and Gymnasium Haganum, Beelaerts van Blokland studied at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden from 1890 to 1895. In 1905, he married Maria Adriana Snoeck (1873-1948), a courtier of

Queen Wilhelmina Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

, with whom he had two sons.

Career

Beelaerts van Blokland served as Dutch envoy to China. Beelaerts van Blokland accompanied in May 1940 Queen Wilhelmina to London as her chief adviser. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs and then became

Vice-President of the Council of State The vice-president of the Council of State ( nl, Vice-President van de Raad van State) is the ''de facto'' presiding officer of the Council of State. The monarch serves as the ''ex officio'' president of the Council of State but in reality seldo ...

, a position he held for 23 years. He died at the age of 84, still in office. He was a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dutch Lion and Grand Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

References

1872 births 1956 deaths Vice-presidents of the Council of State (Netherlands) Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Ministers of State (Netherlands) Members of the Council of State (Netherlands) Politicians from The Hague Leiden University alumni Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion 20th-century Dutch diplomats Diplomats from The Hague {{Netherlands-politician-stub

Personal life

Career

See also

References