Anne Vondeling (2 March 1916 – 22 November 1979) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and agronomist.

Biography

Vondeling studied

Agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

at the Wageningen Agricultural College obtaining a

Master of Science in Engineering A Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) is an academic graduate degree awarded by universities in many countries. It is differentiated from a Master of Engineering (a professional degree). A MSE can require completion of a thesis and qualifi ...

degree and worked as a researcher at his alma mater before finishing his thesis and graduated as a

Doctor of Engineering The Doctor of Engineering (DEng or EngD) or Doctor of Engineering Sciences is a research doctorate in engineering and applied science. An EngD is a terminal degree similar to a PhD in engineering but applicable more in industry rather than in ac ...

in agricultural engineering. Vondeling worked as an agronomist and agricultural engineer in

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 ...

from November 1940 until July 1945 and as a director of an agricultural firm in

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 July 1945 until January 1958. Vondeling became a member of 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 ...

shortly after the election of 1946 on 25 July 1946 and served as

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 agriculture. Vondeling was appointed as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies in the Drees III cabinet following a cabinet reshuffle taking office on 13 January 1958. The Drees III cabinet fell just 11 months later and was replaced on 22 December 1958. Shortly thereafter

Labour Leader The ''Labour Leader'' was a British socialist newspaper published for almost one hundred years. It was later renamed ''New Leader'' and ''Socialist Leader'', before finally taking the name ''Labour Leader'' again. 19th century The origins of th ...

Willem Drees Willem Drees Sr. (; 5 July 1886 – 14 May 1988) was a Dutch politician of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later co-founder of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) ...

announced his retirement and Vondeling served as one of the

lead candidate In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the candidate placed first on a party list. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government, and the party chair or party leader. Usage by country Neth ...

s (top candidates) for the 1959 general election. After the election, Vondeling returned to the House of Representatives on 20 March 1959 and served as spokesperson for finance. Vondeling also worked as a professor of

agricultural science Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Professio ...

and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...

from January 1960 until January 1963. After the Labour Leader 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 legislature, legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. ...

Jaap Burger Jacobus Albertus Wilhelmus "Jaap" Burger (20 August 1904 – 19 August 1986) was a Dutch politician of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later co-founder of the Labour Party (Netherl ...

announced he was stepping down Vondeling was unanimously selected as his successor on 16 September 1962. For the 1963 general election Vondeling served again as one of the lead candidates. After the fall of the

Marijnen cabinet The Marijnen cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 24 July 1963 until 14 April 1965. The cabinet was a continuation of the previous De Quay cabinet and was formed by the Christian democracy, Christian democratic Catholic People's Party ...

a successful

cabinet formation Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

formed the

Cals cabinet The Cals cabinet was the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch Government from 14 April 1965 until 22 November 1966. The cabinet was formed by the Christian democracy, christian-democratic Catholic P ...

with Vondeling appointed as

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

and

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

taking office on 14 April 1965. In September 1966 Vondeling unexpectedly announced that he was stepping down as leader but continued to serve in the cabinet. The Cals cabinet fell just one year into its term after the

Night of Schmelzer The Night of Schmelzer was a debate in the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives of the Netherlands that took place from 13 October to the early hours of 14 October 1966. This night marked the final day of the general de ...

and was replaced on 22 November 1966. After the 1967 general election, Vondeling returned to the House of Representatives on 23 February 1967 and served again as spokesperson for finance. Vondeling also served as

party chairman In politics, a party chair (often party chairperson/-man/-woman or party president) is the presiding officer of a political party. The nature and importance of the position differs from country to country, and also between political parties. Th ...

from 7 March 1969 until 1 May 1971. After the 1972 general election, Vondeling was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives on 7 December 1972. After the 1977 general election Vondeling was re-elected as Speaker. In May 1979 Vondeling announced that he would stand for the

1979 European Parliament election The 1979 European Parliament election was a series of parliamentary elections held across all 9 (at the time) European Community member states. They were the first European elections to be held, allowing citizens to elect 410 MEPs to the Eur ...

and would resign from the House of Representatives. In the European Parliament election Vondeling was elected as a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

and became delegation leader on 17 July 1979. On 22 November 1979 Vondeling died after suffering a fatal

car crash A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

, Belgium at 63. The Anne Vondeling prize is given annually to journalists who write in a clear manner concerning political subjects.

Decorations

References

External links

Dr.Ir. A. (Anne) Vondeling
Parlement & Politiek {{DEFAULTSORT:Vondeling, Anne 1916 births 1979 deaths Agriculturalists Agricultural engineers Chairmen of the Labour Party (Netherlands) Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Deputy prime ministers of the Netherlands Dutch accountants Dutch agronomists Dutch civil engineers Dutch people of World War II Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Dutch international relations scholars Labour Party (Netherlands) MEPs Labour Party (Netherlands) MPs Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences MEPs for the Netherlands 1979–1984 Ministers of agriculture of the Netherlands Ministers of finance of the Netherlands Politicians from Leeuwarden People from Ooststellingwerf Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II Road incident deaths in Belgium Speakers of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Academic staff of the University of Groningen Wageningen University and Research alumni 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch educators 20th-century Dutch engineers 20th-century Dutch scientists Dutch MPs 1967–1971 Dutch MPs 1948–1952