Jozef Maria Laurens Theo "Jo" Cals (18 July 1914 – 30 December 1971) was a Dutch politician of the

Catholic People's Party The Catholic People's Party (, KVP) was a Roman Catholicism in the Netherlands, Catholic Christian democracy, Christian democratic list of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1945 as ...

(KVP) and jurist who served as

Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands () or, before 1945, the chairman of the Council of Ministers () is the ''de facto'' head of government of the Netherlands.''Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden'' onstitution of the Kingdom of the N ...

from 14 April 1965 until 22 November 1966. Cals studied law at the

Radboud University Nijmegen Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, , formerly ) is a public university, public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. RU has seven faculties and more than 24,000 students. Established in 1923, Radboud University has consistentl ...

obtaining a

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

degree and worked as a lawyer and prosecutor in

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

from November 1940 until August 1948 and as researcher at his alma mater from February 1941 until May 1949. Cals also worked as a legal and economics teacher in

Roermond Roermond (; or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received City rights i ...

from October 1943 until June 1945. Cals 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 1948 general election taking office on 19 August 1948 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 know ...

and spokesperson for education and social work. Following a

cabinet reshuffle A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the head of state changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parliam ...

he was appointed as State Secretary for Education, Arts and Sciences in the

Drees–Van Schaik cabinet The Drees–Van Schaik cabinet of the Netherlands, cabinet, also called the First Drees cabinet was the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch Government from 7 August 1948 until 15 March 1951. The cab ...

, taking office on 15 March 1950. The Drees–Van Schaik cabinet fell on 24 January 1951 and was replaced by the first Drees cabinet, with Cals continuing his office. After the 1952 general election, Cals was appointed as Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences in the

second Drees cabinet The Second Drees Cabinet of the Netherlands, cabinet, also called the Third Drees cabinet was the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch Government from 2 September 1952 until 13 October 1956. The cabi ...

, taking office on 2 September 1952. After the 1956 general election, Cals retained his position in the third Drees cabinet. The third Drees cabinet fell on 11 December 1958 and was replaced by the caretaker second Beel cabinet, with Cals continuing his function. After the 1959 general election, Cals once again retained his office in the De Quay cabinet. After the 1963 general election, Cals was not offered a cabinet post in the new cabinet and returned to the House of Representatives on 2 July 1963, serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for the interior and Kingdom relations. Cals also became active in the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

as a non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government. After the fall of the Marijnen cabinet, Cals was asked to lead a new cabinet. Following 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 ...

, Cals formed the Cals cabinet and became

, taking office on 14 April 1965. The cabinet fell just one year into its term after a major political crisis and following a difficult cabinet formation was not included in a new cabinet. Cals left office upon the installation of the caretaker Zijlstra cabinet on 22 November 1966 and announced his retirement. Cals semi-retired from active politics at just 52 and became active in the

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and

s as a corporate and non-profit director, and served as a diplomat and lobbyist for several economic delegations and presided over several state commissions and councils for the government. Cals was known for his abilities as a efficient manager and his work ethics. During his premiership, his cabinet were responsible for major social reforms to social security, closing the mines in Limburg and stimulating urban development in the

Randstad The Randstad (; "Rim City" or "Edge City") is a roughly crescent- or Circular arc, arc-shaped conurbation in the Netherlands, that includes almost half the country's population. With a central-western location, it connects and comprises the Net ...

. Cals was granted 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 5 December 1966 and continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until he was diagnosed with a terminal

brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...

and died in December 1971 at the age of just 57. He holds the distinction of as the fourth longest-serving cabinet member since 1850 with 14 years and 353 days and his premiership is consistently considered both by scholars and the public to have been average.I&O Research
I&O Research, 13 March 2020

Biography

Early life

Jozef Maria Laurens Theo Cals was born in

on 18 July 1914. After completing his secondary education in his home town, he studied for the priesthood in Rolduc. In 1935, however, he interrupted his theological training to study law at the

, after graduating in 1940 he practised law in that same city up until 1950, in the meantime also teaching economics at his old secondary school in

Politics

In 1945 Cals became leader of the

in the municipal council of

until 1946. He was elected to the

in 1948. From 15 March 1950 to 2 September 1952 he was State Secretary for Education, Arts and Sciences, serving from 15 March 1950 until 2 September 1952 in the Drees-Van Schaik and Drees I cabinets. He became Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences serving from 2 September 1952 until 24 July 1963 in the cabinets Drees II and III, Beel II and De Quay, he helped pass the '' Mammoetwet'', a law that transformed secondary education. In the debate, he spoke for 6 hours and 50 minutes, setting a record. In 1963, however, he returned to the House of Representatives. Alongside his duties there, he was a member of the board of governors of 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 ...

, chairman of the Arts Council and a member of the Press Council. In the aftermath of the collapse of the Marijnen cabinet, Cals became

on 14 April 1965. After two decades of economic growth, his cabinet experienced a slight

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction that occurs when there is a period of broad decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be tr ...

. Plans to build sports halls, roads and houses had to be tempered. In Limburg the coal mines were closed and plans were drawn to educate and re-employ the former miners. There was also social unrest ('the sixties'), which became apparent in the Provo movement, construction worker protests, riots over the marriage of princess

Beatrix Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "ble ...

in Amsterdam and the rise of new parties like Farmers' Party (BP),

Pacifist Socialist Party The Pacifist Socialist Party (, PSP) was a Democratic socialism, democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. It is one of the predecessors of GroenLinks. Party history Before 1957 In 1955, a group of "politically homeless" activists ...

(PSP),

Reformed Political League The Reformed Political LeagueTranslation used by Rudy Andeweg, Andeweg and Irwin in ''Governance and Politics of the Netherlands'' (2002: 45) (, GPV) was an orthodox Protestant list of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the ...

(GPV) and the

Democrats 66 Democrats 66 (; D66) is a social liberal and progressive political party in the Netherlands, which is positioned on the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Li ...

(D'66). Especially the last party wanted to change the political order. On 14 October 1966, Norbert Schmelzer, the leader of the

and chair of its parliamentary group in the House of Representatives, tabled a motion that was interpreted as a

motion of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

against the government and Prime Minister Cals. A shocking and surprised action in Dutch politics, later known as the Night of Schmelzer, it marked the first time that a motion of no confidence was tabled against a government by a member of a government party. The cabinet resigned the next day.

Scouting

Cals was in 1930, just after the foundation as a separate Scouting organisation, one of the first members of De Katholieke Verkenners (The Catholic Scouts). He went to the

4th World Scout Jamboree The 4th World Scout Jamboree (Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''4. Cserkész Világdzsembori''), a gathering of Boy Scouts from all over the world, was hosted by Hungary and held from 2 to 13 August 1933. It was attended by 25,792 Boy Scout, Scou ...

in Gödöllo, Hungary in 1933. After the liberation of the southern part of the Netherlands in 1944 he was one of the main forces in rebuilding Catholic Scouting as a separate Scouting movement in the Netherlands. During his second term as Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences, the State Secretary for Education, Arts and Sciences was his former Scout Master René Höppener.

Trivia

Between 1968 and 1970, Cals was in charge of the Dutch entry to the

Expo '70 The or Expo '70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, between 15 March and 13 September 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

in Japan. From 1967 he was chairman of the National Advisory Committee on the amendment of the Constitution. Cals was a hard worker but this was at the expense of his health, he died from a

in the MCH Westeinde hospital 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 ...

on 30 December 1971 at the age of 57.

Decorations

References

External links

*
Mr. J.M.L.Th. (Jo) Cals
Parlement & Politiek *
Kabinet-Cals
Rijksoverheid {{DEFAULTSORT:Cals, Jo 1914 births 1971 deaths Catholic People's Party politicians Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Deaths from brain cancer in the Netherlands Dutch academic administrators Dutch corporate directors 20th-century Dutch judges Dutch legal educators Dutch lobbyists Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch people of World War II Dutch prosecutors Dutch Roman Catholics Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Ministers of education of the Netherlands Ministers of general affairs of the Netherlands Ministers of state of the Netherlands Municipal councillors of Nijmegen Oxfam people People from Roermond Politicians from The Hague Prime ministers of the Netherlands Radboud University Nijmegen alumni Academic staff of Radboud University Nijmegen Royal Netherlands Army officers Royal Netherlands Army personnel of World War II Roman Catholic State Party politicians Scouting and Guiding in the Netherlands State Secretaries for Education of the Netherlands Academic staff of the University of Groningen 20th-century Dutch businesspeople 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch diplomats 20th-century Dutch educators Dutch MPs 1948–1952