Jacobus Albertus Wilhelmus "Jaap" Burger (20 August 1904 – 19 August 1986) was a Dutch politician of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later co-founder of the Labour Party (PvdA) and jurist. He was granted the honorary title of

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

on 4 January 1975.

Early life and education

Burger attended a gymnasium in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

from April 1917 until May 1923 and applied at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

in July 1923 majoring in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree in June 1925 before graduating with a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree in July 1929. Burger worked as a lawyer in

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Western Netherlands, lo ...

from October 1929 until December 1942. On 10 May 1940

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

invaded the Netherlands and the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

fled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to escape the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

. Burger joined the

Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

against the German occupiers in August 1942. In January 1943 Burger escaped the German occupation to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Burger worked as

political advisor Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely televisi ...

for Minister of Social Affairs Jan van den Tempel from February 1943 until August 1943.

Political career

Burger was appointed as Minister for Return Policy in the Gerbrandy II cabinet by

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, making her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history, as ...

, taking office on 11 August 1943. Burger was appointed as

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

following the resignation of

Hendrik van Boeijen Hendrik van Boeijen (23 May 1889 – 30 March 1947) was a Dutch politician of the Christian Historical Union The Christian Historical Union (, CHU) was a Protestant Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CHU is one of t ...

, taking office on 31 May 1944. On 27 January 1945 Burger was forced to resign by Prime Minister

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy 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 ...

following an impromptu remark during a radio address where he differentiated between "wrongful" Dutch civilians (''foute Nederlanders'') and Dutch civilians who made a mistake (''Nederlanders die een fout hebben gemaakt'') during the War, but because Gerbrandy did not discuss this with rest of the cabinet all Social Democratic Workers' Party cabinet members resigned in response and the cabinet continued to serve in a

demissionary A demissionary cabinet () is a type of caretaker government, caretaker cabinet of the Netherlands, cabinet or provisional government in the politics of the Netherlands, Netherlands. Overview The Dutch demissionary cabinet continues the current g ...

capacity. Following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Queen Wilhelmina ordered a Recall of Parliament and Burger was appointment to the

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

taking the place of the deceased Theo van der Waerden, taking office on 20 November 1945 serving as a

frontbencher In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then know ...

and

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for the Interior and the '' de facto''

Whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

. On 9 February 1946 the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP), the

Free-thinking Democratic League The Free-thinking Democratic League (, VDB) was a progressive liberal political party in the Netherlands. Established in 1901, it played a relatively large role in Dutch politics, supplying one Prime Minister, Wim Schermerhorn. The League is a p ...

(VDB) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chose to merge in a

political alliance A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller political parties, who a ...

to form the Labour Party (PvdA), with Burger as one of the co-founders. Burger also became active in the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

and worked as media administrator for the

public broadcaster Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

'' VARA'' serving as chairman of the supervisory board from 12 February 1949 until 20 December 1966. After the

parliamentary leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislature, legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. ...

of the Labour Party in the House of Representatives

Marinus van der Goes van Naters Marinus van der Goes van Naters (21 December 1900 – 12 February 2005) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later the Labour Party (PvdA) and lawyer. Background and early career He was born in Ni ...

announced he was stepping down following a conflict with Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party

Willem Drees Willem Drees Sr. (; 5 July 1886 – 14 May 1988) was a Dutch politician of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later co-founder of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) ...

, the party leadership approached Leen Donker as his successor but the day before he took office parliamentary leader-designate Donker took a leave of absence for health reasons and the party leadership approached Burger as interim parliamentary leader, serving from 16 January 1951 until 18 September 1951. After the 1952 general election, Donker was appointed as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in the Drees II cabinet and the Labour Party leadership approached Burger as parliamentary leader, taking office on 2 September 1952. Burger also served as president of the

Benelux Parliament The Benelux Parliament (officially known as the Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly) is one of the institutions of the Benelux economic union. The Parliament was established by an agreement signed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg on 5 N ...

from 1 January 1958 until 1 January 1959. On 11 December 1958 the Drees III cabinet fell and incumbent Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party Drees announced his retirement from national politics and stated that he would not stand for the 1959 general election, the Labour Party leadership approached Burger as his successor, Burger accepted and became the Leader and one of the

lead candidate In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the candidate placed first on a party list. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government, and the party chair or party leader. Usage by country Neth ...

s, taking office on 22 December 1958. The Labour Party suffered a small loss, losing 2 seats and fell back as the second largest party and now had 48 seats in the House of Representatives. On 16 September 1962 Burger announced that he was stepping down as party leader and parliamentary leader following increasing criticism on his leadership. Burger remained in active in national politics, he was elected to 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 1963 Senate election, taking office on 5 June 1963 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for defence and deputy spokesperson for foreign affairs, European affairs and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. Burger was selected as a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

and dual served in those positions, taking office on 20 October 1966. After the delegation leader of the Labour Party in the European Parliament

resigned, Burger was appointed as delegation leader, taking office on 7 May 1967. Burger was nominated as a Member of the Council of State, serving from 1 October 1970 until 1 September 1979. After his retirement Burger occupied numerous seats as a nonprofit director for supervisory boards for several international non-governmental organizations and research institutes (

International Institute of Social History International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Transnational Institute The Transnational Institute (TNI), is an international non-profit research and advocacy think tank that was founded in 1974 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. According to their website, the organization promotes a "... just, democratic and sustainable w ...

, Royal Netherlands Historical Society,

Netherlands Atlantic Association Since its establishment in 1952, the Netherlands Atlantic Association is a forum for public debate on transatlantic security issues. It provides information and encourages research on topics such as the relationship between Europe and United State ...

and the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

) and as an advocate and lobbyist for

European integration European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

cooperation and serving on several commissions for the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

and state commissions on behalf of the Dutch government.

Decorations

References

External links

Mr. J.A.W. (Jaap) Burger
Parlement & Politiek
Mr. J.A.W. Burger (PvdA)
Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal {{DEFAULTSORT:Burger, Jaap 1904 births 1986 deaths Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Dutch expatriates in Belgium Dutch expatriates in England Dutch lobbyists Dutch members of the Dutch Reformed Church Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch officials of the European Union Dutch public broadcasting administrators Dutch political party founders Dutch resistance members Engelandvaarders European Union lobbyists Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Labour Party (Netherlands) MEPs Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians Leaders of the Labour Party (Netherlands) Members of the Council of State (Netherlands) Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Members of the Senate (Netherlands) MEPs for the Netherlands 1958–1979 Ministers of the interior of the Netherlands Ministers of state of the Netherlands Ministers without portfolio of the Netherlands People from Dordrecht People from Moerdijk Recipients of the Bronze Cross (Netherlands) Recipients of the Order of the House of Orange Recipients of the Resistance Memorial Cross Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands) politicians University of Amsterdam alumni 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch lawyers 20th-century Dutch jurists Labour Party (Netherlands) MPs Dutch MPs 1948–1952

Early life and education

Political career

Decorations

References

Further reading

External links