Gerard Beelaerts van Blokland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerard Beelaerts van Blokland
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Beelaerts van Blokland in 1884
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| Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 7 May 1888 – 15 September 1891 |
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| Preceded by | Eppo Jacobus Cremers |
| Succeeded by | Johan George Gleichman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gerard Jacob Theodoor Beelaerts van Blokland
12 January 1843 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | 14 March 1897 (aged 54) The Hague, Netherlands |
| Awards | Order of the Netherlands Lion |
Gerard Jacob Theodoor Beelaerts van Blokland (born January 12, 1843 – died March 14, 1897) was an important Dutch politician. He was known for two main roles: he worked as an ambassador for the South African Republic (a country in Africa that no longer exists) in Europe from 1884 to 1897, and he was also the Speaker of the Dutch Parliament from 1888 to 1891.
Contents
Who Was Gerard Beelaerts van Blokland?
Gerard's Early Life
Gerard Jacob Theodoor was born in Rotterdam, a big city in the Netherlands. He came from the Beelaerts van Blokland family. This was an old and respected Dutch family, and they became part of the Dutch nobility in 1815.
Gerard's family had a special connection to South Africa. His grandfather worked as a top legal official in the Dutch Cape Colony and later the British Cape Colony. Gerard's father was actually born in the Cape, which is a region in South Africa.
Gerard's Career in Politics
After finishing his studies, Gerard Beelaerts van Blokland became a lawyer. He worked at the highest court in the Netherlands, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. He also worked for the Dutch Department of Justice, where he became a legal secretary.
From 1883 to 1894, Gerard was a member of the Dutch Parliament, called the House of Representatives. He was even chosen to be the Speaker of the House from 1888 to 1891. The Speaker is like the leader who runs the meetings in parliament. He also served in the local government of South Holland from 1888 to 1892. Because of his important work, he was given a special honor called the Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
Working for South Africa
The Beelaerts van Blokland family were very religious Protestants. They had a long-standing interest in South Africa and its people. Gerard was part of a group that helped the Boers, who were Dutch settlers in the South African Republic.
In 1883, he helped the Boer leaders when they went to London to discuss a treaty called the Pretoria Convention. From 1884, Gerard became the official representative for the South African Republic in Europe. From 1889, he was their main ambassador. He did this important job without getting paid until he passed away in 1897.
Gerard also helped organize the South African display at the 1894 World Exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium. This was a big event where countries showed off their achievements.
Gerard's Final Years
Gerard Beelaerts van Blokland died in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 14, 1897. You can find many of his old papers and records in the Nationaal Archief in The Hague and the Zuid-Afrikahuis in Amsterdam.
A collection of items from South Africa that Gerard and his son Cornelis gathered were given to the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden in 1941. These objects are now an important part of the museum's South African collection.
