| Moises da Costa Gomez | |
| Office: | 1st Prime Minister |
| Predecessor: | Office established |
| Successor: | Efraïn Jonckheer |
| Birth Date: | 27 October 1907 |
| Birth Place: | Otrobanda, Curaçao, |
| Death Place: | Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles |
| Party: | National People's Party |
| Spouse: | Lucina da Costa Gomez |
Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez (27 October 1907 – 22 November 1966) was the president of the first Governing Council of the Netherlands Antilles and the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles.[1] [2] [3]
Da Costa Gomez was born on 27 October 1907 in Curaçao. At the age of 15, he was given a scholarship to the Netherlands. In 1932, he graduated his law studies at the Radboud University Nijmegen. In 1935, he received his doctorate at the University of Amsterdam.[4]
Da Costa Gomez was, like John Horris Sprockel, a member of the Roman Catholic Party. He founded the National People's Party in the 1940s.[5] Da Costa Gomez was president of the first Governing Council (Regeringsraad) at the head of a coalition government with the Aruban People's Party (AVP) from 1951 to 1954,[4] and is often referred to as the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles.[6] [7]
His party negotiated full autonomy at the 1954 Roundtable Conference, involving the Netherlands and Suriname.[8] Following the 1954 elections, the Democratic Party took over governing the Netherlands Antilles. Da Costa Gomez remained the leader of the National People's Party; he was succeeded in leadership by Juan Evertsz after his death in 1966.
Da Costa Gomez's doctoral thesis called for self-government and universal suffrage and inspired his followers as well as the Roman Catholic Party. Reforms led by Gomez led to legalization of tambú music parties in 1952.[9] In 1973 a statue of the statesman was unveiled in the center of the Curaçao capital Willemstad.[2]
He is buried in a monument at the Morada Santa in Bottelier.[10]