Willem Jacob "Molly" Geertsema II (; 18 October 1918 – 27 June 1991) was a Dutch politician of the

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party (Netherl ...

(VVD) and jurist. Geertsema attended a Gymnasium 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 ...

from June 1930 until June 1937 and applied at the

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

in June 1937 majoring in

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 obtaining a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree in June 1939. On 10 May 1940

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

invaded the Netherlands and the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

fled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to escape the German occupation. During the German occupation Geertsema continued his study but in November 1940 the German occupation authority closed the Leiden University. Geertsema worked as a civil servant for the municipality of

Oegstgeest Oegstgeest () is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Its population was in . Etymology The portion ''geest'' in the name refers to the Geest, geest lands, which were excavated in the seventeent ...

from December 1940 until December 1944. Following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Geertsema returned to the Leiden University graduating with 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 in July 1947. Geertsema worked as legal educator in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

from August 1947 until December 1952. Geertsema served on the

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

from April 1950 until January 1953. In December 1952 Geertsema was nominated as Mayor of Warffum, taking office on 1 January 1953. In December 1956 Geertsema was appointment as Director-General of the department for Public Sector Organisations of the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

, he resigned as Mayor the same day he was installed as Director-General on 1 January 1957. Geertsema was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1959, taking office on 20 March 1959 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 ...

chairing the parliamentary committee for the Interior and the special parliamentary committee for Water Management in War Time and

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 the Interior,

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

Social Work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

, Provincial Government Affairs,

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

, Kingdom Relations and deputy spokesperson for

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

and Local Government Affairs. In January 1961 Geertsema was nominated as Mayor of Wassenaar and dual served in those positions, taking office on 1 February 1961. After the election of 1963 the

Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is the most senior politician within the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) in the Netherlands. The post is currently held by Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, who succeeded Mark R ...

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. ...

of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives Edzo Toxopeus opted to remain

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in the Cabinet Marijnen, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy leadership approached Geertsema as his successor as Parliamentary leader, Geertsema accepted and became the Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives, taking office on 24 July 1963. The Cabinet Marijnen fell on 27 February 1965 after a disagreement in the coalition about reforms to the

public broadcasting system The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prom ...

and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1965 when it was replaced by the Cabinet Cals on 14 April 1965. Toxopeus subsequently returned as a Member of the House of Representatives on 21 September 1965 but approached Geertsema to continue as Parliamentary leader. Toxopeus returned as Parliamentary leader on 12 March 1966 and Geertsema continued to serve in the House of Representatives as frontbencher again chairing the parliamentary committee for the Interior and spokesperson for the Interior, Justice, Provincial Government Affairs, Media, Kingdom Relations and deputy spokesperson for Social Work and Local Government Affairs. In September 1969 Toxopeus unexpectedly announced he was stepping down as Leader and Parliamentary leader and endorsed Geertsema as his successor, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy leadership subsequently approached Geertsema as his successor, Geertsema accepted and became the Leader and Parliamentary leader, taking office on 1 October 1969. For the election of 1971 Geertsema served as ''

Lijsttrekker 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 Net ...

'' (top candidate). The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy suffered a small loss, losing 1 seat and now had 16 seats in the House of Representatives. In June 1971 Geertsema unexpectedly announced he was stepping down as Leader and Parliamentary leader. The following cabinet formation of 1971 resulted in a coalition agreement between the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the Catholic People's Party, 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 ...

(ARP), the

Christian Historical Union The Christian Historical Union (, CHU) was a Protestant Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CHU is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), into which it merged in September 1980. History 187 ...

(CHU) and the

Democratic Socialists '70 The Democratic Socialists '70 (, DS'70) was a social democratic political party in the Netherlands. History DS'70 was founded on 4 April 1970 as the result of a split from the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA). In June 1970, Frans ...

(DS'70) which formed the Cabinet Biesheuvel I with Geertsema 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

, taking office on 6 July 1971. The Cabinet Biesheuvel I fell just one year later on 19 July 1972 after the Democratic Socialists '70 retracted their support following there dissatisfaction with the proposed budget memorandum to further reduce the deficit and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the first cabinet formation of 1972 when it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Biesheuvel II with Geertsema continuing as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, taking office on 9 August 1972. Geertsema was appointed as Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs following the appointment of

Pierre Lardinois Pierre Joseph Lardinois (13 August 1924 – 16 July 1987) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and agronomist. Lardinois applied at the Wageningen Agricultural College in June 1942 majoring in Agronomy. D ...

as the next European Commissioner, taking office on 1 January 1973. After the election of 1981 Geertsema returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 7 February 1973 but he was still serving in the cabinet and because of

dualism Dualism most commonly refers to: * Mind–body dualism, a philosophical view which holds that mental phenomena are, at least in certain respects, not physical phenomena, or that the mind and the body are distinct and separable from one another * P ...

customs in the constitutional convention of Dutch politics he couldn't serve a

dual mandate A dual mandate occurs when an official serves in or holds multiple public positions simultaneously. This practice is sometimes known as double jobbing in Britain, double-dipping in the United States, and ''cumul des mandats'' in France. Thus, if ...

he subsequently resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives on 5 May 1973. The Cabinet Biesheuvel II was replaced by the Cabinet Den Uyl following the second cabinet formation of 1972 on 11 May 1973. Geertsema subsequently returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 28 May 1973 serving again as a frontbencher and spokesperson for the Interior, Local Government Affairs, Provincial Government Affairs and Kingdom Relations. In November 1973 Geertsema was nominated as the next

Queen's Commissioner A King's commissioner (, ''CvdK'') is the head of government and legislature in a province of the Netherlands. When the reigning monarch is a woman, the title is Queen's commissioner (''Commissaris van de Koningin''). A commissioner is appointed ...

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

, he resigned as Member of the House of Representatives on 9 November 1973 and was installed as Queen's Commissioner, serving from 1 December 1973 until 1 November 1983. Geertsema also became active in the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

and

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 ...

and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards ( Heineken N.V., DSM Company, Rotterdam Dry Dock Company, NIBC Bank, Atlantic Association, SHV Holdings and Campina) and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government ( Public Pension Funds PFZW, Custodial Institutions Agency, Advisory Council for Spatial Planning, Raad voor Cultuur and

KPN Koninklijke KPN N.V. (Royal KPN N.V. in English), trading as KPN is a Dutch List of telephone operating companies, telecommunications company. KPN originated from a government-run postal, telegraph and telephone service and is based in Rotterda ...

) and as an advocate, lobbyist and activist for

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

and

Social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

. Geertsema was elected as a Member of the Senate after the Senate election of 1983, taking office on 13 September 1983 serving as a frontbencher chairing the parliamentary committee for the Interior and the parliamentary committee for Kingdom Relations and spokesperson for the Interior, Local Government Affairs, Provincial Government Affairs, Civil Service and Kingdom Relations. In January 1987 Geertsema announced his retirement from national politics and that he wouldn't stand for the Senate election of 1987 and continued to serve until the end of the parliamentary term on 23 June 1987. Geertsema retired after spending 28 years in national politics but remained active in the private sector and public sector and continued to occupy numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards. Geertsema was also a prolific author, having written more than a dozen books and articles since 1972 about Politics and LGBT rights. Geertsema was known for his abilities as a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and ''policy wonk''. Geertsema continued to comment on political affairs until his death at the age of 72.

Decorations

References

External links

*
Mr. W.J. (Molly) Geertsema
Parlement & Politiek *
Mr. W.J. Geertsema (VVD)
Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal {{DEFAULTSORT:Geertsema, Molly 1918 births 1991 deaths Commanders of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Deputy prime ministers of the Netherlands Dutch agnostics Dutch corporate directors Dutch legal educators Dutch lobbyists Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch people of World War II Dutch political writers Dutch social justice activists Grand Officers of the Order of Leopold II Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau King's and Queen's Commissioners of Gelderland Leaders of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Leiden University alumni Dutch LGBTQ rights activists Mayors in Groningen (province) Mayors in South Holland Members of the Senate (Netherlands) Ministers of kingdom relations of the Netherlands Ministers of the interior of the Netherlands Municipal councillors of Leiden Municipal councillors of The Hague People's Party for Freedom and Democracy politicians People from Eemsmond Politicians from Leiden People from Rheden Politicians from Utrecht (city) People from Wassenaar 20th-century Dutch businesspeople 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch educators 20th-century Dutch jurists 20th-century Dutch male writers Dutch MPs 1967–1971