Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Jonkheer Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Ruijs de Beerenbrouck in 1918
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 10 August 1929 – 26 May 1933
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Dirk Jan de Geer
Succeeded by	Hendrikus Colijn
In office 9 September 1918 – 4 August 1925
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Pieter Cort van der Linden
Succeeded by	Hendrikus Colijn
Leader of the Roman Catholic State Party
In office 27 August 1931 – 17 April 1936
Preceded by	Willem Hubert Nolens
Succeeded by	Piet Aalberse
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 31 May 1933 – 17 April 1936
Preceded by	Josef van Schaik
Succeeded by	Piet Aalberse
In office 17 September 1925 – 10 August 1929
Preceded by	Dionysius Koolen
Succeeded by	Josef van Schaik
Chairman of the Roman Catholic State Party
In office 4 August 1925 – 10 August 1929
Leader	Willem Hubert Nolens
Preceded by	Antonius van Wijnbergen
Succeeded by	Carel Goseling
Queen's Commissioner of Limburg
In office 7 May 1918 – 9 September 1918
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Gustave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Succeeded by	Eduard van Hövell tot Westerflier
Ministerial portfolios Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 20 April 1933 – 26 May 1933 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Frans Beelaerts van Blokland Succeeded by Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry In office 13 September 1922 – 1 January 1923 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Hendrik van IJsselsteyn Succeeded by Piet Aalberse as Minister of Labour, Commerce and Industry Minister of the Interior and Agriculture In office 10 August 1929 – 1 May 1932 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Jan Kan Succeeded by Himself as Minister of the Interior In office 1 January 1923 – 4 August 1925 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Himself as Minister of the Interior Succeeded by Dirk Jan de Geer Minister of War In office 5 January 1920 – 31 March 1920 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by George Alting von Geusau Succeeded by Willem Frederik Pop Minister of Colonial Affairs In office 13 August 1919 – 13 November 1919 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Alexander Idenburg Succeeded by Simon de Graaff Minister of the Navy In office 19 February 1919 – 19 April 1919 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Willem Naudin ten Cate Succeeded by Hendrik Bijleveld Minister of the Interior In office 1 May 1932 – 26 May 1933 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Himself as Minister of the Interior and Agriculture Succeeded by Jacob Adriaan de Wilde In office 9 September 1918 – 1 January 1923 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Pieter Cort van der Linden Succeeded by Himself as Minister of the Interior and Agriculture
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Representatives In office 9 May 1933 – 17 April 1936 In office 15 September 1925 – 10 August 1929 In office 25 July 1922 – 18 September 1922 In office 7 December 1909 – 16 May 1918 In office 19 September 1905 – 21 September 1909
Personal details
Born	Charles Joseph Marie Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1873-12-01)1 December 1873 Roermond, Netherlands
Died	17 April 1936(1936-04-17) (aged 62) Utrecht, Netherlands
Cause of death	Addison's disease
Political party	Roman Catholic State Party (from 1926)
Other political affiliations	General League (until 1926)
Spouse	Maria van der Heyden ​ (m. 1902)​
Children	3
Parent	Gustave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1842–1926) (father)
Relatives	Godfried van Voorst tot Voorst (son in law)
Alma mater	Utrecht University (LLB) Leiden University (LLM)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Jurist · Lawyer · Prosecutor
Signature

Jonkheer Charles Joseph Marie Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (December 1, 1873 – April 17, 1936) was an important Dutch politician. He was a member of the Roman Catholic State Party. He served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands two times. His first time was from 1918 to 1925, and his second time was from 1929 to 1933.

Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck

Early Life and Education

Charles Joseph Marie Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was born on December 1, 1873. His hometown was Roermond, a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. He came from an important family. His father, Gustave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, was also a well-known politician. He even served as Minister of Justice.

Charles went to school in Maastricht and The Hague. He then studied law at Utrecht University. Later, he earned his master's degree in law from Leiden University in 1895.

His Political Journey

Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck began his career as a lawyer in Maastricht in 1896. Soon after, he started getting involved in local politics.

Early Political Roles

• In 1899, he became a member of the Maastricht city council. This meant he helped make decisions for the city.
• In 1905, he was elected to the House of Representatives. This is like being a member of parliament in the Dutch government.
• He stayed in these roles until 1918. Then, he became the Queen's Commissioner for the province of Limburg. This role is similar to a governor.

Becoming Prime Minister

Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck did not stay as Queen's Commissioner for long. On September 9, 1918, he was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. This is the head of the government.

Dealing with Challenges

As Prime Minister, he faced many challenges. The World War I had just ended. Even though the Netherlands stayed neutral, there were still problems. For example, German troops had to return home through Limburg. Also, the German emperor, Wilhelm II, sought safety in the Netherlands.

In November 1918, a socialist leader named Pieter Jelles Troelstra called for a revolution. He was inspired by events in Russia and Germany. However, this revolution did not gain much support in the Netherlands. Still, Ruijs de Beerenbrouck introduced new social laws. These laws aimed to help the working class and improve their lives.

Second Term and the Great Depression

From 1925 to 1929, Ruijs de Beerenbrouck served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This meant he led the meetings of the parliament.

He became Prime Minister again in 1929. During this time, the world faced the Great Depression. This was a very difficult economic crisis. It caused high unemployment and poverty in the Netherlands. The economy struggled more and for longer than in many other European countries.

To try and fix things, Ruijs de Beerenbrouck had to cut government spending. He also had to change the value of the Dutch currency. However, these actions made the economic crisis even harder for many people.

In 1933, there was a mutiny on a navy ship called the De Zeven Provinciën. Sailors protested against wage cuts. The government, led by Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, ordered the ship to be bombed. This event caused a lot of debate and sadness.

Later Career

After his second term as Prime Minister, Ruijs de Beerenbrouck became Speaker of the House of Representatives again in 1933. He continued in this important role until he passed away.

Personal Life

On April 15, 1902, Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck married Maria van der Heyden. They had three children together. He died on April 17, 1936, in Utrecht, at the age of 62.

Awards and Honors

Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck received several important awards and honors during his life. These recognized his service to the Netherlands.

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Grand Officer of the Order of the House of Orange	Netherlands	1 December 1918
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown	Belgium	5 July 1922
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	4 August 1925	Elevated from Grand Officer (31 August 1923)
	Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold	Belgium	25 August 1925
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	25 July 1927	Elevated from Commander (1 August 1924)
	Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre	Holy See	10 December 1929
Honorific Titles
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Minister of State	Netherlands	25 July 1927	Style of Excellency