Achmad Soebardjo Djojoadisoerjo (23 March 1896 – 15 December 1978) was a diplomat, an Indonesian national hero, and the first
foreign minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
.
Early life
Achmad Soebardjo was born in Teluk Jambe,
Karawang Regency,
West Java
West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...
, on 23 March 1896. His father was Teuku Muhammad Yusuf,
[ an Acehnese patrician from Pidie.][ His paternal grandfather was an ]ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.
"Ulama ...
and his father was the chief of police in Teluk Jambe, Karawang.[ His mother was Wardinah.][
Initially, his father gave him the name Teuku Abdul Manaf, but his mother gave him the name Achmad Subardjo.][ Djojoadisoerjo was added by himself after he was arrested and imprisoned in Ponorogo Prison because of his involvement with the " July 3, 1946 Incident".]Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
in 1917. He continued to Leiden University
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...
, Netherlands, and obtained the degree '' Meester in de Rechten'' title in the field of law in 1933.
Independence Struggle
As a student, he was active in the fight for Indonesian independence through Jong Java
, was a Dutch East Indies youth organization founded on March 7, 1915, by at the STOVIA building under the name Tri Koro Dharmo ('Three Noble Goals'). It was founded in response to the perceived elitism of the Budi Utomo movement by many young p ...
and the Indonesian Students Association, Perhimpoenan Indonesia. In February 1927, Soebardjo, Mohammad Hatta
Mohammad Hatta ( ; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman, nationalist, and independence activist who served as the country's first Vice President of Indonesia, vice president as well as the third prime minister. Known as ...
, and three other students represented Indonesia at the conferences of the League against Imperialism in Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
and later in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. At the founding congress in Brussels, Soebardjo and the others met Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
and other nationalist leaders from Asia and Africa. Soebardjo spent a couple of months in Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
working for the International Secretariat of the League against Imperialism. Upon return to Indonesia, he became a member of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK) and the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI).
On 19 August 1945, two days after the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945, Sukarno appointed Soebardjo as the Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
of the Presidential Cabinet, Indonesia's first cabinet for 4 months and immediately started the first Foreign Ministry office at his own residence at Jalan Cikini Raya. Subardjo served as Minister of Foreign Affairs again from 1951 to 1952 in Sukiman's Cabinet. In addition, he also became the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
from 1957 to 1961.
Death
Soebardjo died at the age of 82 at Pertamina Central Hospital, Kebayoran Baru
Kebayoran Baru is a List of districts of Jakarta, district () in the administrative city of South Jakarta, Indonesia. The name was derived from a planned satellite city of the same name which was developed in the Aftermath of World War II, post-wa ...
, from complications with influenza. He was buried at his vacation home in Cipayung, Bogor
Bogor City (), or Bogor (, ), is a landlocked city in the West Java, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide. .[ In 2009 the government honoured him as a National Hero.]
References