Cornelis Lely

Cornelis Lely
His Excellency; Cornelis Lely
	Cornelis Lely in 1913
Minister of Water Management
	In office; 29 August 1913 – 9 September 1918
Prime Minister	Pieter Cort van der Linden
Preceded by	Louis Regout
Succeeded by	Adrianus König
Member of the Senate
	In office; 21 September 1910 – 29 August 1913
Parliamentary group	Liberal Union
Governor–General of Suriname
	In office; 4 October 1902 – 12 September 1905
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Warmolt Tonckens
Succeeded by	David Havelaar (Ad interim)
Member of the House of Representatives
	In office; 17 September 1918 – 24 June 1922
	In office; 23 December 1905 – 21 September 1909
	In office; 21 September 1897 – 16 August 1902
	In office; 16 May 1894 – 27 July 1897
Parliamentary group	Liberal State Party (1921–1922) ; Liberal Union (1894–1921)
Minister of Water Management, ; Commerce and Industry
	In office; 27 July 1897 – 1 August 1901
Prime Minister	Nicolaas Pierson
Preceded by	Philippe van der Sleijden
Succeeded by	Johannes Christiaan ; de Marez Oyens
	In office; 21 August 1891 – 9 May 1894
Prime Minister	Gijsbert van Tienhoven
Preceded by	Jacob Havelaar
Succeeded by	Philippe van der Sleijden
Personal details
Born	Cornelis Lely; 23 September 1854; Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died	22 January 1929 (aged 74); The Hague, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Political party	Liberal State Party (from 1921)
Other political; affiliations	Liberal Union (until 1921)
Spouse(s)	Gerarda van Rinsum (m. 1881; died 1914)
Children	3 sons and 1 daughter
Alma mater	Polytechnic School ; (Bachelor of Engineering, Master of Engineering)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Civil engineer · Architect · Researcher · Author

Cornelis Lely (Dutch pronunciation: [kɔrˈneːlɪs ˈleːli]; 23 September 1854 – 22 January 1929) was a Dutch politician of the Liberal Union (LU) and civil engineer. He oversaw the passage of an act of parliament authorising construction of the Zuiderzee Works, a huge project – designed to his own plans – that turned the Zuiderzee into a lake and made possible the conversion of a vast area of former seabed into dry land.[1]

Early life

Cornelis Lely was born on 23 September 1854 in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, son of an oilseed trader. Lely went to the Hogere Burgerschool (HBS). He later studied at the Polytechnic School in Delft and graduated as civil engineer in 1875.[2]

Career outline

Between 1886 and 1891, Lely led the technical research team that explored the possibility, later approved by a State Commission, of enclosing the Zuiderzee.

The Dutch parliament passed the law creating the Zuiderzee Works in 14 June 1918, using Lely's plan.[3] He served three times Minister of Transport and Water Management (in 1891–1894, 1897–1901, and 1913–1918) and in this role was hugely influential in advocating the implementation of his own plans.[4] The scheme was finally approved and realised after severe flooding along the shores of the Zuiderzee in 1916.

In 1898 as minister he implemented a law on local railroads and tramways, which played a significant role in the development of the Dutch countryside.

In 1895 Lely became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[5] Lely was governor of Surinam from 1902 to 1905.[4] In Surinam he achieved the initiation and construction of the Lawa Railway (from Paramaribo to Benzdorp).

Remembrance

The city of Lelystad, situated in the Eastern Flevoland polder and capital of Flevoland province, was named after him. The flags of the province and of the city are both adorned with a white fleur-de-lys to note his contribution.

In the city of Amsterdam "Cornelis Lelylaan", a major thoroughfare, is named after him and Amsterdam Lelylaan, one of the city's main railway stations, is sited on this road.

In 1905, the Surinamese village of Kofi Djompo was renamed Lelydorp in his honour; Lely having led the construction of a new railway from Paramaribo that ran through the area.[6] Most of the railway has now gone, but Lelydorp survives and is now the capital of Wanica District. It lies on the road from Paramaribo to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport.

A statue of Lely stands on the western point of the Afsluitdijk. It was sculpted by Mari Andriessen and dedicated on 23 September 1954, the 100th anniversary of Lely's birth. A replica of this statue stands in the center of Lelystad, on a 35-metre-high (115 ft) tower of basalt blocks, designed by Hans van Houwelingen (artist). In Lelystad's city hall is a statue of Lely made by Piet Esser.

Decorations

Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
Honours
	Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	31 August 1904

Honorary degrees

University	Field	Country	Date	Comment
Honorary degrees
Institute of Technology	Hydraulic engineering	Netherlands	8 January 1907

References

Jansma, Mr. K. (1954). Lely, bedwinger der Zuiderzee (in Dutch). Amsterdam: H.J. Paris.
H. W. Lintsen, "Cornelis Lely (1854-1929)", Geschiedenis van de techniek in Nederland, 1995. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
Ley, Willy (October 1961). "The Home-Made Land". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 92–106.
Trinder, Barrie, ed. (1992). "Lely, Cornelis". The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Industrial Archaeology. Blackwell Publishers. p. 404. ISBN 0631142169.
"Cornelis Lely (1854 - 1929)". Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
Philip Briggs (1 February 2015). Suriname. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 169–171. ISBN 978-1-84162-910-0.

External links

Media related to Cornelis Lely at Wikimedia Commons
(in Dutch) Dr. C. Lely Parlement & Politiek
(in Dutch) Dr. C. Lely (liberaal) Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal
Works by Cornelis Lely at Project Gutenberg
Works by or about Cornelis Lely at Internet Archive

House of Representatives of the Netherlands
Preceded by Egbert Broer Kielstra	Member for Lochem 1894–1901	Succeeded by Willem Helsdingen
Preceded by Arnold Kerdijk	Member for Amsterdam IX 1901–1902	Succeeded by Hendrik Bijleveld
Preceded by Johannes de Visser	Member for Amsterdam II 1905–1909	Succeeded by Reinhardt Snoeck Henkemans
Political offices
Preceded by Jacob Havelaar	Minister of Water Management, Commerce and Industry 1891–1894 1897–1901	Succeeded by Philippe van der Sleijden
Preceded by Philippe van der Sleijden		Succeeded by Johannes Christiaan de Marez Oyens
Preceded by Warmolt Tonckens	Governor–General of Suriname 1902–1905	Succeeded by David Havelaar Ad interim
Preceded by Louis Regout	Minister of Water Management 1913–1918	Succeeded by Adrianus König

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[Jansma-1] Jansma, Mr. K. (1954). Lely, bedwinger der Zuiderzee (in Dutch). Amsterdam: H.J. Paris.

[2] H. W. Lintsen, "Cornelis Lely (1854-1929)", Geschiedenis van de techniek in Nederland, 1995. Retrieved 24 July 2016.

[ley196110-3] Ley, Willy (October 1961). "The Home-Made Land". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 92–106.

[Blackwell_Encyclopedia-4] Trinder, Barrie, ed. (1992). "Lely, Cornelis". The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Industrial Archaeology. Blackwell Publishers. p. 404. ISBN 0631142169.

[5] "Cornelis Lely (1854 - 1929)". Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 29 July 2015.

[Briggs2015-6] Philip Briggs (1 February 2015). Suriname. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 169–171. ISBN 978-1-84162-910-0.

Cort van der Linden cabinet (1913–1918)
Preceded: Theo Heemskerk cabinet Succeed: First Ruijs de Beerenbrouck cabinet
Prime Minister	Pieter Cort van der Linden (Interior)
Ministers	Pieter Cort van der Linden (Foreign Affairs) (1913) (Ad interim) John Loudon (Foreign Affairs) (from 1913) Anthonij Bertling (Finance) (1913–1914) Willem Treub (Finance) (1914–1916) Anton van Gijn (Finance) (1916–1917) Willem Treub (Finance) (from 1917) Bastiaan Ort (Justice) Willem Treub (Agriculture, Commerce and Industry) (1913–1914) Folkert Posthuma (Agriculture, Commerce and Industry) (from 1914) Nicolaas Bosboom (War) (1913–1917) Jean Jacques Rambonnet (War) (Ad interim) Bonifacius Cornelis de Jonge (War) (from 1917) Jean Jacques Rambonnet (Navy) (1913–1918) Bonifacius Cornelis de Jonge (Navy) (from 1918) (Ad interim) Cornelis Lely (Water Management) Thomas Bastiaan Pleyte (Colonial Affairs) (1913–1915) Jean Jacques Rambonnet (Colonial Affairs) (1915–1916) (Ad interim) Thomas Bastiaan Pleyte (Colonial Affairs) (from 1916)

Pierson cabinet (1897–1901)
Preceded: Röell cabinet Succeed: Kuyper cabinet
Prime Minister	Nicolaas Pierson (Finance)
Ministers	Hendrik Goeman Borgesius (Interior) Willem de Beaufort (Foreign Affairs) Pieter Cort van der Linden (Justice) Cornelis Lely (Water Management, Commerce and Industry) Joannes Coenraad Jansen (War) (1897) (Ad interim) Kornelis Eland (War) (1897–1901) Arthur Kool (War) (from 1901) Joannes Coenraad Jansen (Navy) (1897) Kornelis Eland (Navy) (1897–1898) (Ad interim) Jacob Röell (Navy) (from 1898) Jacob Theodoor Cremer (Colonial Affairs)

Van Tienhoven cabinet (1891–1894)
Preceded: Mackay cabinet Succeed: Röell cabinet
Prime Minister	Gijsbert van Tienhoven (Foreign Affairs) (1891–1894)
Ministers	Johannes Tak van Poortvliet (Interior) Joannes Coenraad Jansen (Foreign Affairs) (from 1894) (Ad interim) Nicolaas Pierson (Finance) Hendrik Jan Smidt (Justice) Cornelis Lely (Water Management, Commerce and Industry) Lodewijk Seyffardt (War) Joannes Coenraad Jansen (Navy) Willem van Dedem (Colonial Affairs)