Sybren van Tuinen (5 March 1913 – 29 April 1993) was a Dutch politician and public servant. Trained as a history teacher during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was acting mayor of

Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on th ...

and mayor of

Dokkum Dokkum is a Dutch fortified city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks) ...

, and then for twenty years a representative in the Provincial States of Friesland. He served for two years in the

Dutch Senate The Senate ( , literally "First Chamber of the States General", or simply ; sometimes ) is the upper house of the States General, the legislature of the Netherlands. Its 75 members are elected on lists by the members of the twelve States-Provi ...

for the

Anti-Revolutionary Party The Anti-Revolutionary Party (, ARP) was a Protestant conservative and Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1879 by Abraham Kuyper, a neo-Calvinist theologian and minister who served as Prime Mi ...

, and then became mayor of Kampen.

Biography

Sybren van Tuinen was born in the village of

Sexbierum Sexbierum (; ) is a village in the municipality of Waadhoeke, in the central north of the Netherlands. Sexbierum is located in the province of Friesland and located about north-east of Harlingen, about north-west of Franeker. The distance to A ...

(municipality of Waadhoeke),

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

, on 5 March 1913 in a Reformed family. His mother was Dirkje Brouwer, his father Pieter van Tuinen, who taught at a school of education in Dokkum. He attended the "Gereformeerd Gymnasium" (a Reformed gymnasium in Huizum,

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...

) from 1927 to 1932, and then moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

to attend the

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public university, public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in ...

, where between 1932 and 1940 he studied history. He married Minke Lieuwina Sytsma, daughter of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

S. L. Sytsma, in 1940 (they became parents of two sons), and that same year was hired as a history teacher at the

Hogere Burgerschool The ''Hogere Burgerschool'' (''HBS'') (Dutch: Higher Civic School) was a secondary school type that existed between 1863 and 1974 in the Netherlands and the Dutch Empire. These schools, with a five- or sometimes six-year program, continued in 1 ...

of Leeuwarden, where he worked until 1943. During

he was active as a regional commander in the Ordedienst, the anti-German resistance; toward the end of the war he was imprisoned in Leeuwarden. From April 1945 to May 1946, Van Tuinen was acting mayor of the Frisian city of

, and then became mayor of

(1946 - 1970). In addition, he was a member of the Provincial States of Friesland from 1950 to 1970. In 1969 he became a member of the

for the

, where he served until 1971; he was the ARP's spokesperson for public housing, spatial planning, and social work. In 1976 he was made Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

. His last public position was as mayor of Kampen, until 1978. He died in

Hattem Hattem () is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in . The municipality includes the hamlet of 't Zand. Name origin The name “Hattem” is a typical farmyard name. The exact origin of “H ...

on 29 April 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuinen, Sybren van 1913 births 1993 deaths Dutch resistance members Mayors in Friesland People from Bolsward People from Dokkum Mayors in Overijssel People from Kampen, Overijssel Members of the Provincial Council of Friesland Members of the Senate (Netherlands) Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau People from Franekeradeel Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni