Cornelis Lely

His Excellency Cornelis Lely
Cornelis Lely in 1913
Minister of Water Management
In office 29 August 1913 – 9 September 1918
Prime Minister	Pieter Cort van der Linden
Preceded by	Louis Regout
Succeeded by	Adrianus König
Member of the Senate
In office 21 September 1910 – 29 August 1913
Governor–General of Suriname
In office 4 October 1902 – 12 September 1905
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Warmolt Tonckens
Succeeded by	David Havelaar (ad interim)
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 17 September 1918 – 24 June 1922
In office 23 December 1905 – 21 September 1909
In office 21 September 1897 – 16 August 1902
In office 16 May 1894 – 27 July 1897
Constituency	Lochem (1894–1901) Amsterdam IX (1901–1902) Amsterdam II (1905–1909)
Minister of Water Management, Commerce and Industry
In office 27 July 1897 – 1 August 1901
Prime Minister	Nicolaas Pierson
Preceded by	Philippe van der Sleijden
Succeeded by	Johannes Christiaan de Marez Oyens
In office 21 August 1891 – 9 May 1894
Prime Minister	Gijsbert van Tienhoven
Preceded by	Jacob Havelaar
Succeeded by	Philippe van der Sleijden
Personal details
Born	Cornelis Lely (1854-09-23)23 September 1854 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died	22 January 1929(1929-01-22) (aged 74) The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	Liberal State Party (from 1921)
Other political affiliations	Liberal Union (until 1921)
Spouse	Gerarda van Rinsum ​ ​ (m. 1881; died 1914)​
Children	3 sons and 1 daughter
Alma mater	Polytechnic School (Bachelor of Engineering, Master of Engineering)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Civil engineer · Architect · Researcher · Author

Cornelis Lely (Dutch pronunciation: [kɔrˈneːlɪs ˈleːli]; 23 September 1854 – 22 January 1929) was a Dutch politician of the Liberal Union and civil engineer. He oversaw the passage of an act of parliament authorising construction of the Zuiderzee Works, a huge project – designed to his own plans – that turned the Zuiderzee into a lake and made possible the conversion of a vast area of former seabed into dry land. Lelystad, the capital of the province of Flevoland, is named after him.

Early life

Cornelis Lely was born on 23 September 1854 in Amsterdam, son of an oilseed trader. Lely went to the Hogere Burgerschool (HBS). He later studied at the Polytechnic School of Delft and graduated as civil engineer in 1875.

Career outline

Between 1886 and 1891, Lely led the technical research team that explored the possibility, later approved by a State Commission, of enclosing the Zuiderzee. The Dutch parliament passed the law creating the Zuiderzee Works on 14 June 1918, using Lely's plan. He served three times as Minister of Transport and Water Management (in 1891–1894, 1897–1901, and 1913–1918) and in this role was hugely influential in advocating the implementation of his own plans. The scheme was finally approved and realised after severe flooding along the shores of the Zuiderzee in 1916.

In 1898 as minister he implemented a law on local railroads and tramways, which played a significant role in the development of the Dutch countryside.

In 1895 Lely became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lely was governor of Suriname from 1902 to 1905. In Suriname, he achieved the initiation and construction of the Lawa Railway from Paramaribo to Benzdorp.

Remembrance

The city of Lelystad, situated in the Eastern Flevoland polder and capital of Flevoland province, was named after him. The flags of the province and of the city are both adorned with a white fleur-de-lys to note his contribution.

In the city of Amsterdam the "Cornelis Lelylaan", a major thoroughfare, is named after him and the Amsterdam Lelylaan station, one of the city's main railway stations, is situated on this road.

In 1905, the Surinamese village of Kofi Djompo was renamed Lelydorp in his honour; Lely having led the construction of a new railway from Paramaribo that ran through the area. Most of the railway has now gone, but Lelydorp survives and is now the capital of Wanica District. It lies on the road from Paramaribo to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport.

A statue of Lely stands on the western point of the Afsluitdijk. It was sculpted by Mari Andriessen and dedicated on 23 September 1954, the 100th anniversary of Lely's birth. A replica of this statue stands in the center of Lelystad, on a 35-metre-high (115 ft) tower of basalt blocks, designed by Hans van Houwelingen (artist). In Lelystad's city hall is a statue of Lely made by Piet Esser.

Honours and decorations

Honours

Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	31 August 1904

Honorary degrees

University	Field	Country	Date	Comment
Institute of Technology	Hydraulic engineering	Netherlands	8 January 1907

External links

• Media related to Cornelis Lely at Wikimedia Commons
• (in Dutch) Dr. C. Lely Parlement & Politiek
• (in Dutch) Dr. C. Lely (liberaal) Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal
• Works by Cornelis Lely at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about Cornelis Lely at the Internet Archive