Piet Aalberse Sr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Piet Aalberse
Aalberse in 1918
Member of the Council of State
In office 10 November 1937 – 1 April 1946
Vice President	Frans Beelaerts van Blokland
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 7 May 1936 – 9 November 1937
Preceded by	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Succeeded by	Josef van Schaik
Leader of the Roman Catholic State Party
In office 31 May 1933 – 11 November 1937
Preceded by	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Succeeded by	Laurentius Nicolaas Deckers
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 15 September 1931 – 7 May 1936
Preceded by	Willem Hubert Nolens
Succeeded by	Carel Goseling
Minister of Labour, Commerce and Industry
In office 1 January 1923 – 4 August 1925
Prime Minister	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Preceded by	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck as Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry Himself as Minister of Labour
Succeeded by	Dionysius Koolen
Minister of Labour
In office 25 September 1918 – 1 January 1923
Prime Minister	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Himself as Minister of Labour, Commerce and Industry
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 15 September 1925 – 9 November 1937
In office 24 February 1903 – 21 June 1916
Personal details
Born	Petrus Josephus Mattheus Aalberse (1871-03-27)27 March 1871 Leiden, Netherlands
Died	5 July 1948(1948-07-05) (aged 77) The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	Catholic People's Party (from 1945)
Other political affiliations	Roman Catholic State Party (1926–1945) General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses (until 1926)
Spouse	Elisabeth Schmier ​ (m. 1898)​
Children	Piet Aalberse Jr. (1910–1989) and 7 daughters
Alma mater	Leiden University (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Jurist · Lawyer · Prosecutor · Researcher · Academic administrator · Nonprofit director · Editor · Author · Professor

Petrus Josephus Mattheus "Piet" Aalberse Sr. (born March 27, 1871 – died July 5, 1948) was an important Dutch politician and lawyer. He was a member of several political parties, including the General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses, the Roman Catholic State Party, and later helped start the Catholic People's Party. In 1934, he was given the special honorary title of Minister of State.

Piet Aalberse studied Law at Leiden University, getting his first degree in 1893 and a master's degree in 1897. He worked as a lawyer in Leiden and also as an editor for Catholic newspapers. He was involved in local politics in Leiden, serving on the city council and as an alderman. Later, he became a professor at the Delft University of Technology.

Who Was Piet Aalberse?

Piet Aalberse was a key figure in Dutch politics during the early 20th century. He held many important roles, from being a local council member to a national minister and even the Speaker of the House. He worked to improve the lives of ordinary people, especially through his work on labor laws.

Early Life and Education

Piet Aalberse was born in Leiden, Netherlands. His father was a confectioner, someone who makes sweets. Piet went to a Catholic elementary school.

After school, he studied Dutch Language and Law at Leiden University. He finished his studies in 1897. After graduating, he started his career as a lawyer in Leiden.

Starting in Politics

Piet Aalberse began his political journey in his hometown of Leiden. He quickly moved from local government to national politics.

Helping Leiden as an Alderman

In 1899, Aalberse was elected to the municipal council of Leiden. This is like a city council. In 1901, he became an alderman. This meant he was in charge of important areas like marriage records, social issues, and public health for the city. He worked in these local roles until 1903.

Joining the National Parliament

In 1903, Piet Aalberse was elected to the House of Representatives. This is part of the national parliament in the Netherlands. He represented the area of Almelo. In parliament, he focused on laws about labor, trade, and industry. He lost his seat in 1916. For a short time after that, he taught at the Delft University of Technology.

Becoming a Minister

Piet Aalberse made a big impact when he became a national minister. He was the first person to hold a special new job.

Improving Work and Life

In 1918, Aalberse became the Netherlands' first ever Minister of Labour. This was a very important new role. In 1922, his job title changed to Minister of Labour, Trade, and Industry.

As minister, he helped introduce several important changes:

• He brought in child benefits for people working in public service. This helped families with children.
• He started a program to encourage private companies to build more homes. This helped more people find places to live.
• He set rules for working hours. He made sure that people generally worked eight-and-a-half-hour days and 48-hour weeks.

His time as minister ended in 1925. After that, he returned to being a member of the House of Representatives.

Leading the Parliament

After his time as a minister, Piet Aalberse continued to play a big role in the Dutch parliament. He became a leader for his political group.

Speaker of the House

From 1931 to 1936, he was the leader of the Catholic group in the House of Representatives. Then, from 1936 to 1937, he served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This is a very important position, like the chairperson of the parliament. He lost his seat in 1937.

Member of the Council of State

Piet Aalberse finished his long political career as a member of the Council of State. He served in this role from 1937 until 1946. The Council of State advises the government on laws and administration.

Family Life

On July 21, 1898, Piet Aalberse married Elisabeth Johanna Maria Schmier. They had a large family with seven daughters and one son. Their son, Piet Aalberse Jr., also became a politician. Piet Aalberse was also involved with De Nederlandsche Padvinders, which is the Dutch Scouting organization.

Awards and Honors

Piet Aalberse received several important awards and honors for his service to the Netherlands. These awards show how much his work was valued.

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	24 February 1911
	Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	31 August 1938	Elevated from Officer (31 August 1911)
Honorific Titles
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Minister of State	Netherlands	31 December 1934	Style of Excellency