Frits Korthals Altes

Frederik "Frits" Korthals Altes (born 15 May 1931) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and jurist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 26 October 2001.


Frits Korthals Altes
Frits Korthals Altes in 2001
President of the Senate
In office
11 March 1997  2 October 2001
Preceded byHerman Tjeenk Willink
Succeeded byGerrit Braks
Parliamentary leader in the Senate
In office
13 June 1995  11 March 1997
Preceded byDavid Luteijn
Succeeded byLeendert Ginjaar
Parliamentary groupPeople's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
14 September 1989  11 June 1991
Parliamentary groupPeople's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
Minister of the Interior
In office
26 January 1987  3 February 1987
Ad interim
Prime MinisterRuud Lubbers
Preceded byKees van Dijk
Succeeded byJan de Koning (Ad interim)
In office
20 February 1986  12 March 1986
Ad interim
Prime MinisterRuud Lubbers
Preceded byKoos Rietkerk
Succeeded byRudolf de Korte
Minister of Justice
In office
4 November 1982  7 November 1989
Prime MinisterRuud Lubbers
Preceded byJob de Ruiter
Succeeded byErnst Hirsch Ballin
Member of the Senate
In office
11 June 1991  2 October 2001
In office
10 June 1981  4 November 1982
Parliamentary groupPeople's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
Chairman of the People's Party
for Freedom and Democracy
In office
15 March 1975  22 May 1981
LeaderHans Wiegel
Preceded byHaya van Someren
Succeeded byJan Kamminga
Personal details
Born
Frederik Korthals Altes

(1931-05-15) 15 May 1931
Amsterdam, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Political partyPeople's Party for
Freedom and Democracy

(from 1956)
Spouse(s)
Titia Kist
(m. 1965; div. 1985)

Hendrika Matthijssen
(m. 1985)
Children3 sons
ResidenceRotterdam, Netherlands
Alma materLeiden University
(Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws)
OccupationPolitician · Jurist · Lawyer · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Editor · Author

Korthals Altes attended the Barlaeus Gymnasium in Amsterdam from June 1937 until July 1943 and applied at the Leiden University in June 1951 majoring in Law and obtaining an Bachelor of Laws degree in June 1953 before graduating with an Master of Laws degree in July 1957. Korthals Altes worked as a lawyer in Rotterdam from August 1957 until November 1982. Korthals Altes served as Chairman of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy from 15 March 1975 until 22 May 1981. Korthals Altes was elected as a Member of the Senate after the Senate election of 1981, taking office on 10 June 1981. After the election of 1982 Korthals Altes was appointed as Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Lubbers I, taking office on 4 November 1982. Korthals Altes served as acting Minister of the Interior from 20 February 1986 until 12 March 1986 following the death of Koos Rietkerk. After the election of 1986 Korthals Altes continued as Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Lubbers II, taking office on 14 July 1986. Korthals Altes again served as acting Minister of the Interior from 26 January 1987 until 3 February 1987 during a medical leave of absence of Kees van Dijk until Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Jan de Koning took over as acting Minister of the Interior. Korthals Altes was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1986, taking office on 14 September 1989. The Cabinet Lubbers II was replaced by the Cabinet Lubbers III on 7 November 1989 and he continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a frontbencher.

In April 1991 Korthals Altes announced that he wanted tot return to the Senate. After the Senate election of 1991 Korthals Altes was elected again as a Member of the Senate, he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the day he was installed as a Member of the Senate, taking office on 11 June 1991 serving as a frontbencher chairing several parliamentary committees. Korthals Altes also became active in the private sector and public sector and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (Unilever, KPN, Randstad Holding, Arcadis, Carnegie Foundation, Stichting INGKA Foundation, and the Institute of International Relations Clingendael) and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government. Following the Senate election of 1991 Korthals Altes was selected as Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the Senate, taking office on 13 June 1995. Korthals Altes was nominated as President of the Senate following the appointed of Herman Tjeenk Willink as Vice-President of the Council of State, taking office on 11 March 1997. In September 2001 Korthals Altes announced his retirement from national politics. He resigned as President of the Senate and a Member of the Senate on 2 October 2001.

Biography

Early life

Frederik Korthals Altes was born on 15 May 1931 in Amsterdam. He worked as a lawyer from 1957 until 1982.

Politics

After the second Lubbers cabinet fell because of a parliamentary motion of no confidence by the VVD faction, new elections were called, and Korthals Altes was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives. In 1991, he was elected back again to the Dutch Senate, where he became a Chairman of the Senate in 1997. From 1990 to 1997, he was also practising law again, with the Dutch firm Nauta Dutilh.

With his resignation from the senate in 2001, he was nominated as Minister of State. Earlier in 1997, the VVD gave him an honorary membership. From 1997 until 2001, he was President of the Senate. The Dutch Queen nominated Korthals Altes, alongside Rein Jan Hoekstra (CDA), as informateur, after a first round of talks between the CDA and Labour Party (PvdA) to form a new cabinet failed. The second Balkenende cabinet between the VVD, CDA and D66, was installed in May 2003.

Korthals Altes chaired a commission in 2007 that looked into the Dutch election process. The final report of the commission advised the government to abandon electronic voting machines, as they lack a paper trail.

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon barHonourCountryDateComment
Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown Luxembourg 15 November 1983
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour France 6 February 1984
Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit Germany 30 May 1985
Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown Belgium 6 July 1986
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit Portugal 2 October 1989
Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 20 November 1989 Elevated from Officer (13 May 1981)
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Spain 1 December 1998
Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit France 28 February 2000
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure Japan 12 May 2000
Awards
Ribbon barAwardsOrganizationDateComment
Honorary Member People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
23 May 1997
Honorific Titles
Ribbon barHonourCountryDateComment
Minister of State Netherlands 26 October 2001 Style of Excellency

References

    Official
    Party political offices
    Preceded by
    Haya van Someren
    Chairman of the People's Party
    for Freedom and Democracy

    1975–1981
    Succeeded by
    Jan Kamminga
    Preceded by
    David Luteijn
    Parliamentary leader of the
    People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
    in the Senate

    1995–1997
    Succeeded by
    Leendert Ginjaar
    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Job de Ruiter
    Minister of Justice
    1982–1989
    Succeeded by
    Ernst Hirsch Ballin
    Preceded by
    Koos Rietkerk
    Minister of the Interior
    Ad interim

    1986
    1987
    Succeeded by
    Rudolf de Korte
    Preceded by
    Kees van Dijk
    Succeeded by
    Jan de Koning
    Ad interim
    Preceded by
    Herman Tjeenk Willink
    President of the Senate
    1997–2001
    Succeeded by
    Gerrit Braks
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