Piet van der Sanden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Piet van der Sanden
Loek Hermans (left) with Piet van der Sanden in 1986
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 11 May 1971 – 7 December 1972 28 May 1973 – 14 September 1989
Member of the European Parliament
In office 3 July 1973 – 3 October 1974
Personal details
Born	(1924-11-11)11 November 1924 Gouda, Netherlands
Died	18 January 2015(2015-01-18) (aged 90) The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	Catholic People's Party (until 1980), Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)

Petrus Joannes Antonius "Piet" van der Sanden (born 11 November 1924 – died 18 January 2015) was a Dutch politician and journalist. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands. This is like the main parliament where laws are made. He served there from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1973 to 1989. He represented the Catholic People's Party and later the Christian Democratic Appeal. He also spent some time as a member of the European Parliament between 1973 and 1974. The European Parliament helps make decisions for countries in Europe.

Piet van der Sanden's Life Story

Early Life and World War II

Piet van der Sanden was born in Gouda, a city in the Netherlands, on 11 November 1924. When he was a student, World War II was happening. He was sent to a working camp in Germany. After the war ended, he joined the British intelligence service. From 1945 to 1947, he worked as a translator for the British forces in Germany. This is where he met his future wife.

Working as a Journalist

After his time as a translator, Piet van der Sanden became a journalist. From 1947 to 1960, he wrote for newspapers like De Nieuwe Zuidhollander and Het Binnenhof. Starting in 1960, he became a special journalist who reported on what was happening in the parliament. He did this job until 1966.

Becoming a Politician

In 1966, Piet van der Sanden started his journey in politics. He became an advisor and secretary for the Catholic People's Party. This party was one of the main political groups in the Netherlands.

In 1971, he won a seat in the House of Representatives. This meant he became a lawmaker for the Netherlands. He served a short time until December 1972. He returned to the House of Representatives on 28 May 1973 and stayed there until 14 September 1989.

While serving in the Dutch parliament, he was also appointed to the European Parliament. He was a member there from 3 July 1973 to 3 October 1974. This role involved working on decisions that affected many countries in Europe. After his time in the House of Representatives, he joined the Commissariaat voor de Media. This group helps oversee media in the Netherlands. He worked there until October 1994.

Special Recognition

Piet van der Sanden was honored for his work. On 27 April 1984, he was made a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. This is a very important award in the Netherlands.

He passed away on 18 January 2015 in The Hague, the capital city of the Netherlands.