Jacobus Gijsbert "Koos" Rietkerk (14 December 1927 – 20 February 1986) was a Dutch politician of the

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

(VVD) and jurist. Rietkerk attended the Christian Gymnasium in Haarlem from April 1940 until May 1946 and applied at the Leiden University in June 1946 majoring in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

and obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree in June 1948 and worked as a student researcher before graduating with a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree in July 1952. Rietkerk worked as a lawyer in Haarlem from January 1953 until October 1956 and also worked as a civil servant for the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) of the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

from January 1953 until October 1956. Rietkerk worked as legal advisor for the Municipalities association (VNG) from October 1956 until January 1959. Rietkerk worked as a trade association executive for the Christian Employers' association (NCW) and served as General-Secretary of the Executive Board from January 1959 until February 1967. Rietkerk was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1967, taking office on 23 February 1967 serving as a

frontbencher In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then kn ...

and

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for Justice,

Social Affairs A Ministry of Social Affairs or Department of Social Affairs is the common name for a government department found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments. While there is some variation in the responsibilities of ...

and the Ombudsman. After the election of 1971 Rietkerk was appointed as State Secretary for Social Affairs in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, taking office on 28 July 1971. The Cabinet Biesheuvel I fell just one year later on 19 July 1972 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the first cabinet formation of 1972 when it was replaced by the

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker'' * '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital * Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...

Cabinet Biesheuvel II with Scholten continuing as State Secretary for Finance, taking office on 9 August 1972. After the election of 1972 Rietkerk returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 23 January 1973 but he was still serving in the cabinet and because of dualism customs in the constitutional convention of Dutch politics he couldn't serve a dual mandate he subsequently resigned as State Secretary for Social Affairs on 23 April 1973 and he continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Justice, Social Affairs and the Ombudsman. In August 1973 Rietkerk was nominated as General-Secretary of the Executive Board of the Industry and Employers' association (VNO), he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the same day he was installed as General-Secretary on 1 September 1973. Rietkerk returned as a Member of the House of Representatives following the appointment of

Henk Vonhoff Hendrik "Henk" Johan Lubert Vonhoff (22 June 1931 – 25 July 2010) was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and teacher. Vonhoff attended the State Civic School of Amsterdam in Amsterdam from April 1950 unt ...

as Mayor of Utrecht, he resigned as General-Secretary of the Industry and Employers' association on 1 September 1974 taking office on 11 September 1974 again serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Justice, Social Affairs and the Ombudsman. After the election of 1977 the

Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is the most senior politician within the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) in the Netherlands. The post is currently held by Mar ...

and

Parliamentary leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are their ...

of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives

Hans Wiegel Hans Wiegel (; born 16 July 1941) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businessperson. Wiegel studied Law at the University of Amsterdam before switching to Political science obtaining a Bache ...

was appointed

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

and

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in the Cabinet Van Agt-Wiegel, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy leadership approached Rietkerk as his successor as Parliamentary leader, Rietkerk accepted and became the Parliamentary leader, taking office on 19 December 1977. After the election of 1981 Wiegel returned as Parliamentary leader on 25 August 1981 and he again served as a frontbencher chairing the parliamentary committee for Kingdom Relations and the parliamentary committee for the Ombudsman. After the election of 1982 Rietkerk was appointed as

in the Cabinet Lubbers I, taking office on 4 November 1982. On 20 February 1986 Rietkerk died after suffering a fatal

Heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

during a meeting in his office at the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

at the age of 58. Rietkerk was known for his abilities as a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and negotiator. He holds the distinction as the second longest-serving Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives who wasn't also the Leader with .

Decorations

References

External links

;Official *
Mr. J.G. (Koos) Rietkerk
Parlement & Politiek 1927 births 1986 deaths Dutch agnostics Dutch former Christians Dutch trade association executives Former Calvinist and Reformed Christians Grand Officers of the Order of Leopold II Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Leiden University alumni Academic staff of Leiden University Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Members of the Social and Economic Council Ministers of the Interior of the Netherlands People from Boskoop Politicians from Haarlem People's Party for Freedom and Democracy politicians Reformed Churches Christians from the Netherlands State Secretaries for Social Affairs of the Netherlands 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch jurists 20th-century Dutch lawyers 20th-century Dutch politicians {{Netherlands-VVD-politician-stub