Frans Willy Weisglas (born 8 August 1946) is a retired Dutch politician, diplomat and economist. A member of the

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

(VVD), he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 16 May 2002 until 30 November 2006. He was a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from 16 September 1982 until 30 November 2006.

Biography

Early life

Weisglas studied

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

at the

Erasmus University Erasmus University Rotterdam (abbreviated as ''EUR'', nl, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam ) is a public research university located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th-century humanist ...

, in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, obtaining a degree in 1970.

Politics

After his graduation, he worked for some years for the Dutch foreign service, being part of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations (1970–1977). He then worked as a secretary to the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation (1978–1981). In 1982, he became an elected member of the

, where he focused on foreign and European affairs. In 2002, Weisglas was elected Speaker of the House, after

Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven (born 2 August 1943) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and librarian. Biography Before entering politics Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven was born in Noordwolde in the Frisian municipality of Weststellin ...

of the Labour Party stepped down. He was the first Speaker of the House to be elected (and re-elected in 2003) by a democratic vote among parliamentarians without requiring royal approval. On 15 August 2006 he announced that he would not be a candidate in the

2006 Dutch general election General elections were held in the Netherlands on 22 November 2006 following the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. The elections proved relatively successful for the governing Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) which remained the largest part ...

, ending his 24-year-old career as a politician. His last day as Speaker of the House was on 30 November 2006.Frans Weisglas: 'Met genoegen schrijf ik over het einde van dit wangedrocht'
Volkskrant, 22 April 2012

Trivia

He is an ambassador for

Terre des hommes Terre des hommes, also Terre des Hommes (''Land of People'' or ''Land of Men''), is an international children's rights charitable humanitarian umbrella organization under the aegis of the International Federation of Terre des Hommes (TDHIF), wit ...

Decorations

References

External links

;Official *
Drs. F.W. (Frans) Weisglas
Parlement & Politiek {{DEFAULTSORT:Weisglas, Frans 1946 births Living people Dutch expatriates in Italy Dutch expatriates in Switzerland Dutch Jews Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch political commentators Erasmus University Rotterdam alumni Grand Cordons of the Order of Independence (Jordan) Jewish Dutch politicians Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Politicians from Rotterdam Politicians from The Hague People's Party for Freedom and Democracy politicians Speakers of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch diplomats 20th-century Dutch economists 20th-century Dutch politicians 21st-century Dutch economists 21st-century Dutch politicians