Hans De Jong (March 25, 1932 – February 6, 2014) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1986 to 1994, as a Social Credit member for the constituencies of Central Fraser Valley and Abbotsford.

Biography

In 1947, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with his parents and siblings. They settled in the Abbotsford area and established themselves in farming. In 1950, de Jong met his wife, Ann. They were married in 1954 and started their lives together on a dairy farm in Deroche where de Jong successfully built his farming business. In the spring of 1962 they moved to

Matsqui Matsqui is a former district municipality in British Columbia, Canada. It was incorporated in 1892 and merged with the district municipality of Abbotsford in 1995 to create the new City of Abbotsford. Matsqui used to be the western part of what is ...

and continued dairy farming. They had five children.

Political career

In 1971, de Jong ran for political office and served as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

until 1975 and then Mayor (1975–1987) for the District of Matsqui. In 1986, de Jong was elected MLA for the Social Credit Party. He served in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

for several years including a position as Minister of Agriculture and Aquaculture. In 2013, de Jong was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to the community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Jong, Harry 1932 births 2014 deaths British Columbia municipal councillors British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Dairy farmers Dutch emigrants to Canada Farmers from British Columbia Mayors of places in British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from Abbotsford, British Columbia People from De Fryske Marren