Piet de Jong

prime minister of the Netherlands (1915–2016)

Petrus Jozef Sietse "Piet" de Jong (April 3, 1915 – July 27, 2016) was a Dutch politician. He was for the Catholic People's Party (KVP) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).


Piet de Jong
Parliamentary leader of the Catholic People's Party in the Senate
In office
May 11, 1971 – September 17, 1974
Preceded byJan Niers
Succeeded byJan Teijssen
Member of the Senate
In office
May 11, 1971 – September 17, 1974
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office
April 5, 1967 – July 6, 1971
MonarchJuliana
DeputyJohan Witteveen
Joop Bakker
Preceded byJelle Zijlstra
Succeeded byBarend Biesheuvel
Minister of Economic Affairs
In office
January 7, 1970 – January 14, 1970
Prime MinisterPiet de Jong
Preceded byLeo de Block
Succeeded byRoelof Nelissen
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
February 23, 1967 – April 5, 1967
Minister of Defence
In office
July 24, 1963 – April 5, 1967
Prime MinisterVic Marijnen (1963-1965)
Jo Cals (1965-1966)
Jelle Zijlstra (1966-1967)
Preceded bySim Visser
Succeeded byWillem den Toom
State Secretary for Defence
In office
June 25, 1959 – July 24, 1963
Serving with Michael Calmeyer
Prime MinisterJan de Quay
Preceded byHarry Moorman
Succeeded byAdri van Es
Personal details
Born
Petrus Jozef Sietze de Jong

(1915-04-03)April 3, 1915
Apeldoorn, Netherlands
DiedJuly 27, 2016(2016-07-27) (aged 101)
The Hague, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Political partyChristian Democratic Appeal
(from 1980)
Other political
affiliations
Catholic People's Party
(1959-1980)
Spouse(s)Anneke Bartels
(m. 1947-2010; her death)
ChildrenMaria (born 1948)
Jos (born 1949)
Gijs (born 1952)[1]
ResidenceThe Hague, Netherlands[2]
Alma materRoyal Netherlands Naval College
OccupationPolitician
Naval officer
AwardsOrder of Orange-Nassau
(Knight Grand Cross)
Bronze Cross (2)
Distinguished Service Cross
Medal for Order and Peace
War Memorial Cross
Military service
Nickname(s)Little Piet
Her Majesty's own garden gnome
AllegianceThe Netherlands
Branch/serviceRoyal Netherlands Navy
(Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service)
Years of service1934-1959
(Reserve from 1959-1963)
RankCaptain Captain
CommandsHNLMS O 24
HNLMS De Zeeuw
HNLMS Gelderland
Battles/warsWorld War II Cold War
Aide-de-campQueen Juliana
(1955-1958)
Chief of staffInspector General of the Navy Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1955-1958)

Early life

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Petrus Josef Sietse de Jong was born on April 3, 1915 in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands Province of Gelderland. He studied at the Royal Netherlands Navy as a midshipman in 1931 and soon attended the Royal Netherlands Naval College in Den Helder.

Career

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He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from April 5, 1967 until July 6, 1971.[3][4]

De Jong is known for his dry wit and quick remarks. His abilities as a team leader were greatly admired. The Cabinet De Jong was the first cabinet after World War II that completed a full term without any internal conflicts.[1]

Personal life

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de Jong was married to Anneke Bartels from 1947 until her death in 2010. They had three children. He lived at The Hague. de Jong died at his The Hague home from natural causes on July 27, 2016, aged 101.

Longevity

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Until his death in July 2016, he was the oldest and earliest serving former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the oldest living state leader at the age of 101. Over forty years after he left office, De Jong was comment on political affairs as an elder statesman.[5]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Brouwer, Jan Willem; van Merriënboer, Johan (2001). Van buitengaats naar Binnenhof: P.J.S. de Jong, een biografie. Sdu Uitgevers. ISBN 978-90-12-08774-2. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  2. (in Dutch) Pietje Archived 2016-06-10 at the Wayback Machine, Reformed Political Party, October 3, 2010
  3. (in Dutch) ‘De oorlog was de oorzaak van geduvel in ’68’, NRC Handelsblad, May 10, 2008
  4. (in English) Piet de Jong AKA Petrus Jozef Sietze de Jong, NNDB, May 6, 2006
  5. (in Dutch) De putschisten zijn onder ons[permanent dead link], De Groene Amsterdammer, October 28, 2005

Other websites

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  Media related to Piet de Jong at Wikimedia Commons