Willem Schermerhorn Explained

Honorific-Prefix:His Excellency
Willem Schermerhorn
Office:Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Term Start:25 June 1945
Term End:3 July 1946
Deputy:Willem Drees
Predecessor:Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
Successor:Louis Beel
Office1:Member of the Senate
Term Start1:18 September 1951
Term End1:5 June 1963
Office2:Member of the House of Representatives
Term Start2:27 July 1948
Term End2:18 September 1951
Term Start3:4 June 1946
Term End3:16 September 1946
Birth Date:1894 12, df=y
Birth Place:Akersloot, Netherlands
Death Place:Haarlem, Netherlands
Party:Labour Party (from 1946)
Otherparty:Free-thinking Democratic League
(1930–1946)
Liberal State Party
(1922–1930)
Children:3 sons and 1 daughter
Alma Mater:Institute of Technology
(Bachelor of Engineering, Master of Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy)
Occupation:Politician · Civil servant · Civil engineer · Cartographer · Surveyor · Researcher · Editor · Author · Professor

Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn (pronounced as /nl/; 17 December 1894 – 10 March 1977) was a Dutch politician who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 25 June 1945 until 3 July 1946. He was a member of the Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) and later co-founder of the Labour Party (PvdA).[1] According to Harry W. Laidler, the government under Schermerhorn's premiership "achieved important results in the fields of labor, finance, housing, old age pensions, and the social services".[2]

Early life

Willem Schermerhorn was born on 17 December 1894 in Akersloot in the Dutch province of North Holland. He grew up in a Protestant family of farmers. He became professor of land surveying and geodesy at the Delft University of Technology on 7 September 1926.[3] He was a leader in photogrammetry and founder of the International Training Centre for Aerial Survey.[4] The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing has offers an award in memory of Schermerhorn.[5]

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 Kamp 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 Schermerhorn–Drees cabinet, 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). In 1956 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[6]

Personal life

On 9 April 1919, Schermerhorn married Barbara Rook (13 June 1897 – 7 January 1986).[7] Wim Schermerhorn died on 10 March 1977 in Haarlem. He was 82.

His brother,, was an engineer in the Soviet Union (he was involved in the construction of the Moscow Subway). He was killed during the Stalinist purges in 1937. His sister, Neeltje, was married to theologian Johannes Marie de Jonge, principal of the Theological Seminary of the Dutch Reformed Church in Driebergen (1960–1968).

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon bar Honour Country Date Comment
Knight of the Order of the Netherlands LionNetherlands1933
Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-NassauNetherlands31 July 1946

External links

Official

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Home. Andere Tijden. 10 November 2019.
  2. Book: Harry W. Laidler. History of Socialism: An Historical Comparative Study of Socialism, Communism, Utopia. 4 July 2013. Routledge. 978-1-136-23150-6. 1–.
  3. Web site: Willem Schermerhorn . TU Delft . 1945-06-24 . 2020-09-15.
  4. Obituary . Australian Surveyor . Informa UK Limited . 28 . 6 . 1977 . 0005-0326 . 10.1080/00050326.1977.10441415 . 387.
  5. Web site: The Schermerhorn Award . International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing . 2020-09-15 . 2020-09-15.
  6. Web site: W. Schermerhorn (1894–1977) . Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences . 30 July 2015.
  7. Web site: Adéle CROMMELIN (1852-1908) » Stamboom Willems Hoogeloon-Best » Genealogie Online. Kees. Willems. Genealogie Online. 10 November 2019.