Jozias van Aartsen

Jozias Johannes van Aartsen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjoːzijɑs joːˈɦɑnəs fɑn ˈaːrtsə(n)];[3] born 25 December 1947) is a retired Dutch politician who served as Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy from 2004 to 2006.

Jozias van Aartsen
Van Aartsen in 2012
Mayor of Amsterdam
Acting
In office
4 December 2017  12 July 2018
Preceded byEric van der Burg (ad interim)
Succeeded byFemke Halsema
King's Commissioner of Drenthe
Acting
In office
19 April 2017  1 December 2017
Preceded byJacques Tichelaar
Succeeded byJetta Klijnsma
Mayor of The Hague
In office
27 March 2008  1 March 2017
Preceded byJetta Klijnsma (ad interim)
Succeeded byTom de Bruijn (ad interim)
Leader of the People's Party
for Freedom and Democracy
In office
27 November 2004  8 March 2006
Preceded byGerrit Zalm
Succeeded byMark Rutte
Leader of the People's Party
for Freedom and Democracy

in the House of Representatives
In office
27 May 2003  8 March 2006
Preceded byGerrit Zalm
Succeeded byWillibrord van Beek
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
3 August 1998  22 July 2002
Prime MinisterWim Kok
Preceded byHans van Mierlo
Succeeded byJaap de Hoop Scheffer
Minister of Agriculture,
Nature and Fisheries
In office
22 August 1994  3 August 1998
Prime MinisterWim Kok
Preceded byPiet Bukman
Succeeded byHaijo Apotheker
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
23 May 2002  30 November 2006
In office
19 May 1998  3 August 1998
Personal details
Born
Jozias Johannes van Aartsen

(1947-12-25) 25 December 1947
The Hague, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Political partyPeople's Party for
Freedom and Democracy

(since 1968)
Spouse(s)
Henriëtte Warsen
(m. 1972)
[1]
Children3 children[2]
FatherJan van Aartsen (1909–1992)
ResidenceThe Hague, Netherlands
Alma materFree University Amsterdam
(Bachelor of Laws)
OccupationPolitician · Civil servant · Jurist · Political consultant · Nonprofit director · Author
Signature

A native of The Hague, he attended the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet from April 1960 until May 1968 and applied at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in June 1968 majoring in Law and obtaining an Bachelor of Laws degree in July 1970. Van Aartsen served as Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries (1994–1998) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1998–2002) under Prime Minister Wim Kok, as well as Mayor of The Hague from 2008 until 2017.

Early life

Jozias Johannes van Aartsen was born on 25 December 1947 in The Hague, son of Jan van Aartsen, a politician of the Anti Revolutionary Party (ARP). He served as Minister of Transport and Water Management, Minister of Housing and Construction and Queen's Commissioner of Zeeland. After completing the Gymnasium-a he studied law at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. At the age of 22 van Aartsen moved to The Hague to work in politics.

Politics

Mayor of the Hague Jozias van Aartsen, Director Benno Tempel and President of the United States Barack Obama during a visit at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag on 25 March 2014.

When Hans Wiegel became party leader, in 1971, Van Aartsen was asked to work for Wiegel as employee of the party in the House of Representatives. In 1974 he became director-general of the Telders Foundation, the scientific institute of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. Van Aartsen worked as a political consultant for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy from July 1970 until August 1974 and as the director of the Telders Foundation think tank from August 1974 until February 1979. Van Aartsen worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of the Interior from February 1979 until August 1994 as Deputy Director-General of the department for Administrative Affairs from February 1979 until April 1981 and as Director-General of the department for Administrative Affairs from April 1981 until July 1983 and as Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of the Interior from July 1983 until January 1985 and as Secretary-General of the Ministry of the Interior from January 1985 until August 1994.

In 1978 Van Aartsen became Chef de Bureau of the Secretary General of Interior. He did this under Ministers Rietkerk, Van Dijk, De Korte, De Koning, Dales and De Graaf. In 1985 he became Secretary General of Interior himself. After the election of 1994 he was made the Minister of Agriculture from 1994 to 1998 in the First Kok cabinet. After the election of 1998 in the Second Kok cabinet he was made the Minister of Foreign Affairs. When the cabinet fell as a direct result of the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies report about the fall of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War, he became parliamentary leader in the lower house of the States General.

On 1 April 2004 an attempt was made to run over Van Aartsen by a car when he and a co-worker were doing a photoshoot in front of Hotel Des Indes in The Hague. Van Aartsen was not hurt but the co-worker did sustain a shoulder injury. The assailant, a 41-year-old lawyer by the name of Frederiek de Jongh and an employee of Bureau Rechtshulp in Utrecht confessed her action was politically motivated.[4]

Van Aartsen stepped down as VVD Leader in 2006; in a letter to the newly-elected party leader Mark Rutte, he however expressed his disappointment with the demise of the Second Balkenende cabinet which in his view was uncalled for. He also warned for VVD interparty warring between a populist fraction with a no-nonsense attitude and focus on tax cuts and law and order and a liberal fraction focused on personal freedoms, rule of law, international orientation and education. Jozias van Aartsen is a member of the Bilderberg Group.

He served as Mayor of The Hague from 2008 to 2017. He then took two acting positions: as King's Commissioner of the province of Drenthe and as Mayor of the capital Amsterdam.[5]

Personal life

Van Aartsen retired from national politics but has remained active in the public sector and continues to occupy numerous seats as a nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government.

Van Aartsen is known for his abilities as a manager and debater. Van Aartsen continues to comment on political affairs as of 2021 and holds the distinction as the only person who served as both Mayor of The Hague and Mayor of Amsterdam. His father Jan was also a politician who served as Minister of Transport and Water Management and Minister of Housing and Construction.

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon barHonourCountryDateComment
Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Netherlands 1 August 1994
Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II Belgium 15 April 2000
Grand Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown Luxembourg 30 November 2000
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Spain 19 October 2001 [6]
Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 1 March 2017 Elevated from Officer (10 December 2002)

References

  1. (in Dutch) Schoktherapeut in een mooi Haags streepjespak, NRC, 4 September 2000
  2. (in Dutch) Minister Jozias van Aartsen langs de Feministische Meetlat, Opzij.nl, 1 October 2000
  3. In isolation, van is pronounced [vɑn].
  4. (in Dutch) Verwarde advocate reed met opzet Van Aartsen aan, Volkskrant, 4 April 2004.
  5. Van Aartsen waarnemend burgemeester in Amsterdam, nos.nl, 2 November 2017.
  6. (in Spanish) REAL DECRETO 1143/2001 - Boletín Oficial del Estado
Party political offices
Preceded by
Gerrit Zalm
Parliamentary leader of the
People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy

in the House of Representatives

2003–2006
Succeeded by
Willibrord van Beek
Leader of the People's Party
for Freedom and Democracy

2004–2006
Succeeded by
Mark Rutte
Political offices
Preceded by
Piet Bukman
Minister of Agriculture,
Nature and Fisheries

1994–1998
Succeeded by
Haijo Apotheker
Preceded by
Hans van Mierlo
Minister of Foreign Affairs
1998–2002
Succeeded by
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Preceded by
Jetta Klijnsma
Ad interim
Mayor of The Hague
2008–2017
Succeeded by
Tom de Bruijn
Ad interim
Preceded by
Jacques Tichelaar
King's Commissioner of Drenthe
Acting

2017
Succeeded by
Jetta Klijnsma
Preceded by
Eric van der Burg
Ad interim
Mayor of Amsterdam
Acting

2017–2018
Succeeded by
Femke Halsema
Civic offices
Preceded by
Unknown
Director-General of the Department for
Administrative Affairs of the
Ministry of the Interior

1981–1983
Succeeded by
Unknown
Deputy Secretary-General of the
Ministry of the Interior

1983–1985
Preceded by
Aat Vis
Secretary-General of the
Ministry of the Interior

1985–1994
Succeeded by
Wim Kuijken
Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by
Pierre Heijnen
Chairman of the
Supervisory board of
The National Theater

2019–present
Incumbent
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