Alexander Willem Frederik Idenburg (23 July 1861 – 28 February 1935) was a Dutch military officer and politician of the Anti Revolutionary Party who served as Governor-General of

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

from 1905 until 1908, and the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

from 1909 until 1916. He also served as

Minister of Colonies Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

on three occasions between 1902 and 1919. Idenburg served on the Council of State from 1925 until his death in 1935.A.W.F. Idenburg
''Parlement & Politiek''. Retrieved on 17 January 2015.

Biography

Idenburg was born on 23 July 1861 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. At the age of 16, he was send to Koninklijke Militaire Academie. In 1881, he was commissioned

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

at the military engineers of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL). In 1889–1890, he was sent to the Aceh War, but did not participate in the fighting. Between 1896 and 1901, he was the president of the cabinet of General Major J.A. Vetter. During a 1894–1895 leave, Idenburg met

Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper (; ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist theologian and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upo ...

who became his political friend. In 1901, he ran for the House of Representatives and was elected. Idenburg returned to the Netherlands, and served in parliament until 25 September 1902. Subsequently he was appointed

. In 1903, he passed the Decentralisation Law which allowed the East Indies to established independently financed regional councils. He served until 16 August 1905.

Suriname

On 14 September 1905, Idenburg was appointed

Governor-General of Suriname This is a list of colonial governors of Suriname, a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Suriname was first colonized by the Bri ...

. He arrived on 18 November 1905. During his tenure, he developed the "Idenburg Plan" in order to achieve financial independence for the colony, however it did not pass. As an orthodox protestant, he had refused attend parties and receptions which were held on Sunday. He passed the

Sunday Law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons, ...

enforcing a mandatory free day on Sunday, and forced closure of all shops. Four Muslim shopkeepers who closed their shops on Friday, but reopened on Sunday, were sentenced to a ƒ5,- fine. In February 1908, he applied for sick leave. On 28 February, he resigned as governor.

Dutch East Indies

From 18 May 1908 until 16 August 1909, Idenburg returned as Minister of Colonies. During his tenure, the atrocities of Gotfried van Daalen were revealed. Van Daalen had lost twelve men during the Aceh Wars, but – as is now known – to have caused at least 2,922 native deaths including at least 1,149 women and children. Idenburg defended van Daalen, but could not prevent an investigation into the massacre. Van Daalen decided to turn in his resignation. He was later controversially absolved of all crimes, and re-enlisted. On 21 August 1909, Idenburg was appointed

Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies The governor-general of the Dutch East Indies ( nl, gouverneur-generaal van Nederlands Indië) represented Dutch rule in the Dutch East Indies between 1610 and Dutch recognition of the independence of Indonesia in 1949. Occupied by Japanese fo ...

where arrived on 18 December 1909. During his tenure, he was confronted by the nationalist movement. In 1912, Sarekat Islam was founded. Idenburg refused to take action against Sarekat Islam, but did not recognize the political party until 1916. In 1913, Idenburg interned the journalist Ernest Douwes Dekker (a relative of Multatuli) for founding the Indische Party. In September 1913, Douwes Dekker was exiled from the Dutch East Indies and not allowed to travel to the Netherlands either. In 1914, Douwes Dekker's writings were banned. Idenburg tried to pass a Sunday Law in the Dutch East Indies, but only managed a watered down version. He served until 21 March 1916.

Later life

On 9 September 1918, Idenburg was reappointed as Minister of Colonies, but resigned on 13 November 1919 due to health problems. In 1923, he received the honorary title of Minister of State. On 17 February 1925, he was appointed to the Council of State, an advisory council to the government. Idenburg died on 28 February 1935 in The Hague, at the age of 73.

Honours

* Commander in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. * Grand Cross in the Order of Henry the Lion. * Grand Cross in the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

Gallery

File:Alexander_Willem_Frederik_Idenburg_(1861-1935)._Gouverneur-generaal_(1909-16)_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-3815.jpeg, Idenburg (1910s) File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Gouverneur-Generaal A.W.F. Idenburg brengt een bezoek aan de Koloniale Tentoonstelling in Semarang TMnr 60026650.jpg, Visit to the Colonial Exhibition of Semarang (1914)

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Idenburg, Alexander Willem Frederik 1861 births 1935 deaths Anti-Revolutionary Party politicians Governors of Suriname Governors-General of the Dutch East Indies Ministers of Colonial Affairs of the Netherlands Ministers of State (Netherlands) Politicians from Rotterdam Royal Netherlands East Indies Army generals Royal Netherlands East Indies Army officers Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion 20th-century Dutch East Indies people Graduates of the Koninklijke Militaire Academie