List of King's and Queen's commissioners of Limburg explained

Post:King's Commissioner
Body:Limburg
Native Name:Commissaris van de Koning van Limburg
Incumbent:Emile Roemer
Incumbentsince:1 December 2021
Appointer:The Crown
Termlength:Six years, no term limit
Formation:16 September 1815
Inaugural:Charles de Brouckère

The King's Commissioner of Limburg (Dutch: Commissaris van de Koning in Limburg) is the chairman of both the States of Limburg as well as the provincial executive.[1]

In the Dutch province of Limburg, the King's Commissioner is usually called Gouverneur (governor), as in Belgium. Similarly, the Provinciehuis (Province Hall) in Maastricht is called Gouvernement (Governor's Residence). This local custom arose from the particular status of the current province in the nineteenth century.

In 1830, the whole of the province of Limburg, which at the time consisted of both the present Dutch and Belgian parts, joined in the Belgian Revolution, with the notable exception of the city of Maastricht. From then until 1839 Limburg was governed as part of Belgium. As per the 1839 Treaty of London, The Netherlands recognised Belgium's independence, but special provisions were made for Limburg (and Luxembourg). The province was divided into two, roughly taking river Meuse as the border, with most of the eastern half, although now an integral part of the Dutch territory, becoming a member of the German Confederacy as the "Duchy of Limburg" to appease Prussia, which had lost access to the Meuse after the Congress of Vienna. This peculiar arrangement, which excluded Maastricht and Venlo, lasted until the Confederation's dissolution in 1866.

The folklore custom to call the local King's Commissioner "Governor" dates from these times; nowadays it is used to underline the Limburgers' (self-)perceived otherness from "regular" Dutchmen.

List of King's and Queen's commissioners of Limburg

!Term!Name!Party
1815–1828Charles de BrouckèreOrangist
1828–1831Maximilien Henri Ghislain, Baron de Beeckman
1831Pierre André Servais Kerens (ad interim)Orangist
1831–1845Johan Eberhard Paul Ernst Gericke van Herwijnen
1845–1846Pieter Daniël Eugenius Macpherson
1846–1856Eduardus Johannes Petrus van MeeuwenLiberal
1856–1874Joseph van der Does de WilleboisModerate liberal
1874–1893Eduard de Kuijper
1893–1918Gustave Ruijs de BeerenbrouckRoman Catholic (conservative)
1918Charles Ruijs de BeerenbrouckGeneral League
1918–1936Eduard van Hövell tot WesterflierGeneral League / RKSP
1936–1941Willem van SonsbeeckRKSP
1941–1944Max de Marchant et d'AnsembourgNSB
1944–1947Willem van SonsbeeckRKSP / KVP
1947–1964François Joseph Marie Anne Hubert HoubenKVP
1964–1978Charles van RooyKVP
1978–1990Sjeng KremersKVP, CDA
1990–1993Emile MastenbroekCDA
1993–2005Berend-Jan van Voorst tot VoorstCDA
2005–2011Léon FrissenCDA
2011–2021Theo BovensCDA
2021Johan Remkes (acting)VVD
2021–presentSP

Notes and References

  1. https://www.parlement.com/id/vkduek5t32o5/commissarissen_van_de_koning_in_in Commissarissen van de Koning(in) in Limburg sinds 1850