Willem Schermerhorn

Wim Schermerhorn
Member of the Senate
In office September 18, 1951 – June 5 1963
Member of the House of Representatives
In office July 27, 1948 – September 18, 1951
Member of the House of Representatives
In office June 4, 1946 – September 15, 1946
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office June 24, 1945 – July 3, 1946
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
Succeeded by	Louis Beel
Personal details
Born	Willem Schermerhorn (1894-12-17)December 17, 1894 Akersloot, Netherlands
Died	March 10, 1977(1977-03-10) (aged 82) Haarlem, Netherlands
Political party	Free-thinking Democratic League (until 1946) Labour Party (from 1946)
Spouse	Barbara Rook
Alma mater	Delft University of Technology (M.Eng)
Occupation	Politician Civil engineer Cartographer Professor

Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn (December 17, 1894 - March 10, 1977) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1945 until 1946. He was the first Prime Minister after World War II.

Biography

Early life

Willem Schermerhorn was born on December 17, 1894 in Akersloot in the Dutch Province of North Holland. He grew up in a protestant family of farmers. He became professor at the Delft University of Technology on 7 September 1926. Schermerhorn remained professor until 1944, when he was removed by the German occupational forces because of his activities in the Dutch resistance. He was interned by the German occupational forces as a hostage in Sint-Michielsgestel from May 1942 until December 1943. After he was removed as professor in 1944 Schermerhorn went into hiding to avoid being taken prisoner by the German occupational forces.

Politics

On 24 June 1945 he became Prime Minister of the cabinet Schermerhorn/Drees, the first cabinet after World War II. Schermerhorn was the first Dutch Prime Minister who appointed civil servants with a political background, people like Koos Vorrink and Hendrik Brugmans (nicknamed 'The Schermerboys"). After the elections of 1946 he became a member of parliament, as a member of the social-democratic Labour Party. He remained a member of parliament until 1951. After his parliamentarian career ended he became director of the International Training Center for Aerial Survey in 1951 (until 1969).

Trivia

Wim Schermerhorn died on March 10, 1977 in Haarlem he was 82.

Decorations

• Knight - Order of the Netherlands Lion
• Grand Officer - Order of Orange-Nassau

External links

• Template:Nl icon Official Parliamentary Biography
• Biography on the Ministry of General Affairs