Roelof Johannes Hendrik Kruisinga (27 August 1922 – 7 December 2012) was a Dutch politician of the defunct

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) party and later the

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( , CDA) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands. Formed as a federation in 1975 by the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and the Christian Historical ...

(CDA) party and physician. Kruisinga attended a Gymnasium in

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th centur ...

from June 1935 until June 1939 and applied 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 ...

in June 1941

majoring An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''conce ...

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. In May 1942 Kruisinga was arrested by the

Sicherheitsdienst ' (, "Security Service"), full title ' ("Security Service of the ''Reichsführer-SS''"), or SD, was the intelligence agency of the Schutzstaffel, SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence ...

(SD) and detained in the

Kamp Sint-Michielsgestel Kamp Sint-Michielsgestel was an ilag that was set up by the German occupiers during World War II in the Ruwenberg boarding school and the Beekvliet minor seminary in Sint-Michielsgestel. History Notable hostages On 4 May 1942, Kamp Sint-Mich ...

and was released in July 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 ...

Kruisinga returned to the University of Groningen and obtaining a

Bachelor of Medical Sciences A Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMedSci, BMedSc, BSc(Med), BMSc) is an undergraduate academic degree involving study of a variety of disciplines related to human health leading to an in depth understanding of human biology and associated research s ...

degree in June 1946 and worked as a student researcher before graduating with a

Master of Medicine Master of Medicine (MMed, MM) is a postgraduate professional clinical degree awarded by medical schools to physicians following a period of instruction, supervised clinical rotations, and examination. As of May 2009, the following universities ...

degree on 12 October 1950. Kruisinga worked as a medical researcher of

otorhinolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical an ...

at the

University Medical Center Groningen The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG, ), formerly Groningen University Hospital, is the main hospital in Groningen, Netherlands. The medical centre is affiliated with the University of Groningen and offers supraregional tertiary care to ...

from January 1950 until November 1955. Kruisinga was

conscripted Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

in the

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army (, KL) is the Ground warfare, land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised making the Dutch standing a ...

serving as a

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

from November 1951 until November 1953. Kruisinga applied at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

in August 1951 for a

postgraduate education Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...

Surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

and before transferring to the

Magdalen College Magdalen College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, se ...

of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in May 1952 graduating with a

Master of Surgery The Master of Surgery (Latin: Magister Chirurgiae) is an advanced qualification in surgery. Depending upon the degree, it may be abbreviated ChM, MCh, MChir or MS. At a typical medical school the program lasts two to three years. The possessi ...

in September 1953 and later returned to the University of Groningen and got

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

s as a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(

MD–PhD The Doctor of Medicine–Doctor of Philosophy (MD–PhD) is a dual doctoral program for physician–scientists, combining the professional training of the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree with the research program of the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph ...

) on 2 November 1955. Kruisinga worked as an otolaryngologist and

internist Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of th ...

physician at the University Medical Center Groningen and the

Medical Center Leeuwarden The Medical Center Leeuwarden (MCL; ) is the hospital of the city of Leeuwarden. It is one of the country's major top-clinical centers, offering secondary and tertiary care. It has 647 beds, and offers all common specialties including pulmonology ...

from January 1955 until 1 September 1962 and worked as an inspector for the Health Care Inspectorate of the

Ministry of Social Affairs A ministry of social affairs or department of social affairs is the common name for a government department found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments. While there is some variation in the responsibilities of su ...

and Health 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 1 April 1960 until 1 September 1962. Kruisinga worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health from 1 September 1962 until 18 April 1967 as Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and Director-General of the department for Public Health of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health from 1 September 1962 until 1 June 1965 and as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health from 1 June 1965 until 18 April 1967. After the election of 1967 Kruisinga was appointed as State Secretary for Social Affairs and Health in the Cabinet De Jong, taking office on 18 April 1967. After the election of 1971 Kruisinga was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 11 May 1971. After the election of 1971 the Leader of the Christian Historical Union 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 Christian Historical Union in the House of Representatives Bé Udink was appointed as Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, the Christian Historical Union leadership approached Kruisinga as interim Parliamentary leader, taking office on 6 July 1971 until Jur Mellema was approached as the new Leader and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives on 26 July 1971. Following cabinet formation of 1971 Kruisinga himself was appointed as State Secretary for Transport and Water Management in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, taking office on 28 July 1971. The Cabinet Biesheuvel I fell just one year later on 19 July 1972 after 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) retracted their support following there dissatisfaction with the proposed budget memorandum to further reduce the deficit and continued to serve in a

demissionary A demissionary cabinet () is a type of caretaker government, caretaker cabinet of the Netherlands, cabinet or provisional government in the politics of the Netherlands, Netherlands. Overview The Dutch demissionary cabinet continues the current g ...

capacity until the first cabinet formation of 1972 when it was replaced by the

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Occupations * Janitor (chiefly in the United States), a person who cleans and maintains buildings such as hospitals and schools * Property caretaker, a person who cares for a property * Caregiver or carer (UK), a person wh ...

Cabinet Biesheuvel II with Kruisinga continuing as State Secretary for Transport and Water Management, taking office on 9 August 1972. After the election of 1972 Kruisinga returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 19 December 1972 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 State Secretary on 20 March 1973. In June 1973

Arnold Tilanus Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia U ...

announced he was stepping down as Leader and Parliamentary leader, the Christian Historical Union leadership approached Kruisinga as his successor, Kruisinga accepted and became the Leader and Parliamentary leader, taking office on 1 July 1973. On 10 December 1976 the Christian Historical Union, 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) and 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) choose to merge in a

political alliance A parliamentary group, parliamentary caucus or political group is a group consisting of members of different political parties or independent politicians with similar ideologies. Some parliamentary systems allow smaller political parties, who a ...

to form the

(CDA). Incumbent

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 ...

Dries van Agt Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt (; 2 February 1931 – 5 February 2024) was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982. He was a prominent leader o ...

of the Catholic People's Party was choose as the first

Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal The Party leader, Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal is the most senior politician within the Christian Democratic Appeal (, CDA) in the Netherlands.The current leader has been Henri Bontenbal since 14 August 2023. History The leaders o ...

and became the ''Lijsttrekker'' for the election of 1977. The following cabinet formation of 1977 resulted in a coalition agreement between the Christian Democratic Appeal and 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) which formed the Cabinet Van Agt-Wiegel with Kruisinga was appointed as

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

, taking office on 19 December 1977. On 4 March 1978 just three months after taking office Kruisinga resigned after he disagreed with the cabinets decision to not publicly condemn the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for further developing the

Neutron bomb A neutron bomb, officially defined as a type of enhanced radiation weapon (ERW), is a low-yield thermonuclear weapon designed to maximize lethal neutron radiation in the immediate vicinity of the blast while minimizing the physical power of the b ...

. Kruisinga semi-retired from national politics and 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 ...

and served as a Senior Adviser to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO) from 16 August 1978 until 1 June 1979 when he was nominated as Deputy Director–General of the World Health Organization and Vice President of the

World Health Assembly The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 World Health Organization#Membership, member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of h ...

, serving until 20 May 1982. Kruisinga was elected as a Member of the Senate following the Senate election of 1981, serving from 10 June 1981 until 11 June 1991. Following the end of his active political career, Kruisinga occupied numerous seats as a nonprofit director for supervisory boards for several international non-governmental organizations and research institutes (

Netherlands Cancer Institute The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam was founded in 1913 by, among others, the surgeon Jacob Rotgans. The NKI, together with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis, is formed into the NKI-AVL, which combines a scientific research inst ...

Netherlands Red Cross The Netherlands Red Cross () was founded in 1867. It is among the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It adopts branch governance structure which leads to approximately 214 branches that enables it to serve the whole country. It is run by pai ...

Foundation KiKa The Foundation Kika (Dutch: Stichting Kinderen Kankervrij; English: Children Cancer-free Foundation) is a Dutch charity foundation that brings in fundings solely for research to childhood cancers. Renewing research to this form of cancer requires ...

Stichting Max Havelaar Fairtrade Nederland, formerly known as Max Havelaar, is the Dutch member of Fairtrade International, which unites 23 Fairtrade certification producer and labelling initiatives across Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa, Australia ...

, Society for the Advancement of Science, Medicine and Surgery and the

Royal Dutch Medical Association The Royal Dutch Medical Association (RDMA; in Dutch Koninklijke Nederlandsche Maatschappij tot bevordering der Geneeskunst or KNMG) is the professional organisation for medical practitioners in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1849. In 1999 sev ...

Biography

Early life

Kruisinga was born in

Grijpskerk Grijpskerk (; or ; ) is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Westerkwartier, about 18 km west of the city of Groningen. Grijpskerk was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merg ...

. His family were

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

, but Kruisinga decided not to be baptized and to become a member of the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

. As a physician he specialised in

otolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical an ...

and he received his doctorate at the

in 1955.

Politics

He held different positions as a physician before he became State Secretary for Social Affairs and Health and subsequently State Secretary for the State Secretary for Transport and Water Management. From 1971 to 1977 he was

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

of the

. He was Minister of Defense under Prime Minister

from 1977 to 1978. In the early eighties he became vice-president of the

. Afterwards he became a member of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, serving from 1981 to 1991 and representing the

. He died, aged 90, in Wassenaar.

Decorations

References

External links

*
Dr. R.J.H. (Roelof) Kruisinga
Parlement & Politiek *
Dr. R.J.H. Kruisinga (CDA)
Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal {{DEFAULTSORT:Kruisinga, Roelof 1922 births 2012 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Commanders of the Legion of Honour Christian Democratic Appeal politicians Christian Historical Union politicians Dutch expatriates in England Dutch expatriates in Scotland Dutch expatriates in Slovenia Dutch expatriates in Switzerland Dutch expatriates in the United States Dutch health and wellness writers Dutch healthcare managers Dutch internists Dutch medical researchers Dutch medical writers Dutch members of the Dutch Reformed Church Dutch Mennonites Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch officials of the United Nations Otolaryngologists Dutch prisoners of war in World War II Dutch resistance members Dutch surgeons Grand Officers of the Order of Leopold II Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Leaders of the Christian Historical Union Dutch MPs 2012–2017 Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the Senate (Netherlands) Ministers of defence of the Netherlands People from Zuidhorn People from Wassenaar Protestant Church Christians from the Netherlands Royal Netherlands Army personnel State secretaries for health of the Netherlands State secretaries for social affairs of the Netherlands State secretaries for transport of the Netherlands University of Groningen alumni Academic staff of the University of Groningen World Health Organization officials World War II civilian prisoners World War II prisoners of war held by Germany 20th-century Dutch civil servants 20th-century Dutch male writers 20th-century Dutch military personnel 20th-century Dutch politicians 20th-century Dutch physicians 21st-century Dutch male writers 20th-century surgeons Christian Democratic Appeal MPs