Dirk Jan de Geer

Jhr. Dirk Jan de Geer (14 December 1870 – 28 November 1960) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Christian Historical Union (CHU) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 8 March 1926 until 10 August 1929 and from 10 August 1939 until 3 September 1940.

Jonkheer Dirk Jan de Geer
Dirk Jan de Geer in 1930
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 10 August 1939 – 3 September 1940
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Hendrikus Colijn
Succeeded by	Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
In office 8 March 1926 – 10 August 1929
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Hendrikus Colijn
Succeeded by	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Chairman of the Christian Historical Union
In office 30 June 1933 – 10 August 1939
Preceded by	Jan Rudolph Slotemaker de Bruïne
Succeeded by	Hendrik Tilanus
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 28 April 1933 – 10 August 1939
Preceded by	Reinhardt Snoeck Henkemans
Succeeded by	Hendrik Tilanus
Parliamentary group	Christian Historical Union
Leader of the Christian Historical Union
In office 8 July 1929 – 14 May 1940
Preceded by	Johan de Visser
Succeeded by	Hendrik Tilanus
Minister of the Interior and Agriculture
In office 4 August 1925 – 8 March 1926
Prime Minister	Hendrikus Colijn
Preceded by	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Succeeded by	Jan Kan
Minister of Finance
In office 10 August 1939 – 3 September 1940
Prime Minister	Dirk Jan de Geer
Preceded by	Christiaan Bodenhausen
Succeeded by	Charles Welter
In office 8 March 1926 – 26 May 1933
Prime Minister	Dirk Jan de Geer (1926–1929) Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1929–1933)
Preceded by	Hendrikus Colijn
Succeeded by	Pieter Oud
In office 28 July 1921 – 11 August 1923
Prime Minister	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Preceded by	Simon de Vries
Succeeded by	Hendrikus Colijn
Mayor of Arnhem
In office 8 May 1920 – 28 July 1921
Preceded by	Aarnoud van Heemstra
Succeeded by	Salomon de Monchy
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 9 May 1933 – 10 August 1939
In office 25 July 1922 – 18 September 1922
In office 4 November 1907 – 30 August 1921
Parliamentary group	Christian Historical Union (1908–1939) Christian Historical Party (1907–1908)
Personal details
Born	Dirk Jan de Geer 14 December 1870 Groningen, Netherlands
Died	28 November 1960 (aged 89) Soest, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Political party	Christian Historical Union (from 1908)
Other political affiliations	Christian Historical Party (1903–1908) Christian Historical Voters' League (until 1903)
Spouse(s)	Maria Voorhoeve ​ ​ (m. 1904; died 1955)​
Relations	Boudewijn de Geer (grandson) Mike de Geer (great-grandson)
Children	3 daughters and 2 sons
Alma mater	Utrecht University (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Jurist · Managing editor · Author

Biography

Born in Groningen, he was a descendant of the De Geer family. After receiving his J.D. in 1895, De Geer worked as a journalist and acted as the town councillor of Rotterdam (1901–1907).

He served from 1907 as a Christian Historical member of Parliament. De Geer was a stable and respected politician before World War II. From 1920 to 1921 de Geer served as mayor of Arnhem. Between 1921 and 1923 he served as Minister of Finance. He resigned in 1923 because of his disagreement with the Naval Law of 1924. From 1925 to 1926 he served as minister of the interior and minister of agriculture. He was Prime Minister from 8 March 1926 to 10 August 1929. He also served as Minister of Finances from 1926 to 1933.

After the end of the fifth cabinet of Colijn he was again asked to form a government in August 1939, concurrently holding the office of Minister of Finance and of General Affairs. However, he was not suited for the role of prime minister of a nation at war as he knew himself. When the Germans attacked the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, the situation soon became very serious. Because of this, the government decided to flee to London.

When in London, De Geer advocated negotiating a separate peace between the Netherlands and the Third Reich, which damaged the Dutch government and Dutch morale by openly stating that the war could never be won. He was finally removed from office on the instigation of Queen Wilhelmina, and replaced by Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, officially on account of ill-health.[1]

Later on, he was sent with a diplomatic package to the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. He never arrived there: on a stopover in Portugal, he left and returned via Berlin to his ailing wife and the rest of his family[2] in the Netherlands with the permission of the Germans. This greatly angered Queen Wilhelmina, who called him a traitor and deserter to the Dutch cause. He later wrote a controversial leaflet with "instructions" for the people on how to co-operate with the Germans. "With this pamphlet", the Dutch government in exile stated in a broadcast, "the writer has betrayed the Netherlands people, whatever happens to him personally."[2] Wilhelmina warned De Geer that if he went on to publish this, he would be put on trial after the conclusion of the war.[3]

With the permission of the Nazis,[2] De Geer went through with the publication. After the war, he was duly accused and brought to trial. He was found guilty and stripped of all of his honorary titles. The Appeal Court confirmed the sentence of a year's imprisonment for high treason in time of war, with three years' probation, but waived the fine of 20,000 guilders and his deprivation of the title "Minister of State".[4] He died some 15 years later in Soest.

Personal

On 11 August 1904, De Geer married Maria Voorhoeve (1 May 1883 – 6 April 1955).[5][6]

His grandson is ex-footballer Boudewijn de Geer, and his great-grandson is current footballer Mike de Geer.

Death

De Geer died on 28 November 1960 at Soest, Netherlands at the age of 89, 16 days before his 90th birthday and several years after suffering a stroke.

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	31 August 1933	Stripped of title on 15 March 1950
	Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	11 August 1923	Stripped of title on 15 March 1950
Honorific Titles
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Minister of State	Netherlands	31 August 1933	Style of Excellency Stripped of title on 12 November 1947

References

1. "As a result of a reshuffle..." The Age. 19 September 1940. p. 8. Retrieved February 11, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Dutch Accuse Ex-Premier Of Traitor's Act". The Salt Lake Tribune. 22 April 1942. p. 5. Retrieved February 11, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Keesing's Contemporary Archives, Volume IV, (February, 1941) p. 4479
4. Keesing's Contemporary Archives Volume VI, (November, 1947) p. 8944
5. Driessen, Eduard. "Maria Voorhoeve (1883-1955) » Stamboom Driessen » Genealogie Online". Genealogie Online. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
6. "Maria Voorhoeve geb. 1 mei 1883 Rotterdam ovl. 6 apr 1955 Soest: jwvdhurk". www.stamboomonderzoek.com. Retrieved 27 October 2018.

External links

• Newspaper clippings about Dirk Jan de Geer in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW

• (in Dutch) Jhr.Mr. D.J. (Dirk) de Geer Parlement & Politiek