Alexander Willem Frederik Idenburg (23 July 1861 – 28 February 1935) was a Dutch military officer and politician of 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 ...

who served as Governor-General of

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

from 1905 until 1908, and the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

from 1909 until 1916. He also served as Minister of Colonies on three occasions between 1902 and 1919. Idenburg served on the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

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 Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Netherlands. At the age of 16, he was sent to

Koninklijke Militaire Academie The Royal Military Academy ( or ''KMA'') is the service academy for the Dutch Army, the Dutch Air Force and the Royal Marechaussee. Located in Breda, Southern Netherlands, the KMA has trained future officers since 1828. Description The KMA o ...

. In 1881, he was commissioned second lieutenant at the military engineers of the

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (; KNIL, ; ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherl ...

(KNIL). In 1889–1890, he was sent to the

Aceh War The Aceh War (), also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1904), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between representatives of Aceh ...

, 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 an 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 pastor 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 House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

and was elected. Idenburg returned to the Netherlands, and served in parliament until 25 September 1902. Subsequently he was appointed Minister of Colonies. 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. 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 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 (, ) represented Dutch rule in the Dutch East Indies between 1610 and Dutch recognition of the independence of Indonesia in 1949. Occupied by Japanese forces between 1942 and 1945, followed by the ...

where arrived on 18 December 1909. During his tenure, he was confronted by the nationalist movement. In 1912,

Sarekat Islam Sarekat Islam or Syarikat Islam ( 'Islamic Association' or 'Islamic Union'; SI) was an Indonesian socio-political organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century during the Dutch colonial era. Initially, SI served as a cooperative of ...

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 Ernest François Eugène Douwes Dekker also known as ''Setyabudi'' or ''Setiabudi'' (8 October 1879 – 28 August 1950) was an Indonesian-Dutch people, Dutch Indonesian National Revolution, nationalist and politician of Indo people, Indo descen ...

(a relative of

Multatuli Eduard Douwes Dekker (2 March 182019 February 1887), better known by his pen name Multatuli (from Latin ''multa tulī'', "I have suffered much"), was a Dutch writer best known for his satirical novel ''Max Havelaar'' (1860), which denounced the a ...

) for founding the

Indische Party The Indische Partij (IP) or Indies Party () was a short-lived but influential political organisation founded in 1912 by the Indo people, Indo-European (Eurasian) journalist Ernest Douwes Dekker, E.F.E. Douwes Dekker and the Javanese physicians Tji ...

. 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 Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

. On 17 February 1925, he was appointed to the

, an advisory council to the government. Idenburg died on 28 February 1935 in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, at the age of 73.

Honours

* Commander in the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815. The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...

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

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), 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 c ...

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 The Colonial Exhibition, Dutch: ''Koloniale Tentoonstelling'', took place in Semarang, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) on 20 August through 22 November 1914. Colonial exhibitions were trade expositions. It was designed to "give a comprehensive ...

(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 of the 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