Jan Heemskerk Abrahamszoon (; 30 July 1818 – 9 October 1897) was a Dutch politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1874 to 1877, and again from 1883 to 1888. His son, Theo Heemskerk also served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

Biography

Jan Heemskerk Abrahamszoon was born on 30 July 1818 in

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 ...

. He was the son of Abraham Heemskerk and Joanna Jacoba Stuart.Mr.Dr. J. (Jan) Heemskerk Azn.
''Parlement & Politiek''. Retrieved on 7 March 2015. He was baptized on 27 August 1818 in the

Remonstrant The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ori ...

Church in Amsterdam. He studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and became a lawyer, then 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 ...

. Originally a liberal politician, he became a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

in 1866, and remained this in his Premiership. He was three times Ministers of the Interior (1866–1868; 1874–1877; 1883–1888) and three times temporary chairman of the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

, similar to the present-day

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

, (1867–1868; 1874–1877; 1883–1888). He was

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 ...

from 1885 to his death. Heemskerk died on 9 October 1897, at the age of 79, 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 ...

Personal life

Heemskerk married his first cousin Anna Maria Heemskerk on 1 October 1846 in Utrecht. They had 5 sons, one of whom died in infancy, and 3 daughters. His son Theo Heemskerk (1852–1932) was Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1908 to 1913. His son Jan Frederik Heemskerk (1867–1944) was a member of the

.J.F. (Jan) Heemskerk
''Parlement & Politiek''. Retrieved on 7 March 2015.

Published works

Heemskerk's published works include *''De praktijk onzer grondwet.'' 2 vols. (Utrecht: J. L. Beijers, 1881.) *''Speciminis inauguralis de Montesquivio pars prior

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'' 2 vols. (Amstelodami: J.H. et G. van Heteren, 1839.)

References

External links

* 1818 births 1897 deaths 19th-century Dutch jurists Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Ministers of the interior of the Netherlands Ministers of justice of the Netherlands Ministers of state of the Netherlands Municipal councillors of Amsterdam Prime ministers of the Netherlands Remonstrants University of Amsterdam alumni Utrecht University alumni {{Netherlands-politician-stub