Willem Drees
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| Willem Drees | |
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| In office August 7, 1948 – December 22, 1958 |
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| Preceded by | Louis Beel |
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| Succeeded by | Louis Beel |
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| Born | July 5, 1886 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | May 14, 1988 (aged 101) The Hague, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Political party | Social Democratic Workers' Party, Labour Party |
| Spouse | Catharina Hent |
| Children | two sons and two daughters |
Willem Drees (pronounced Drace) (July 5, 1886 – May 14, 1988) was a Dutch politician, prime minister of the Netherlands from 1948 until 1958, as a member of the social-democratic Dutch Labour Party (PvdA).
Born in Amsterdam, Drees was known as Vadertje Drees ("Little Father Drees"), and was very popular. During his office as prime minister, the Netherlands recovered from the Second World War, decolonization took place and the modern welfare state was formed. After his time as prime minister, Drees was still called upon in time of constitutional crisis, in 1966 he was member of the committee which advised government on the ministerial responsibility towards members of the royal house, together with Pieter Oud.
Drees also held the cabinet position of Minister of State in 1959. He died in The Hague in 1988 at almost 102.
Drees was an Esperantist and addressed the 1954 World Congress of Esperanto, which was held in Haarlem.[1]
Both his sons Jan and Willem (1922-1998) were active members of the PvdA, but left the party around 1970 to join DS' 70 (Democratic Socialists '70). The cause was a row with younger party members who wanted to plot a more radical leftwing course for the party. Willem Drees would soon also leave the PvdA, leaving them without their icon, but never joined DS '70.
In 2004, he ended in third place in the election of De Grootste Nederlander (The Greatest Dutchman).
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- W. Drees, Gespiegeld in de tijd. De nagelaten autobiografie (Amsterdam 2000). (Memoir by Willem Drees, jr.)
[edit] External links
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