Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
Gerbrandy in 1941
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 3 September 1940 – 25 June 1945
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Deputy	Hendrik van Boeijen (de facto)
Preceded by	Dirk Jan de Geer
Succeeded by	Willem Schermerhorn
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 23 October 1956 – 20 March 1959
In office 27 July 1948 – 3 July 1956
Minister of Colonial Affairs
In office 17 November 1941 – 21 May 1942
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Charles Welter
Succeeded by	Hubertus van Mook
Minister of Justice
In office 23 February 1945 – 25 June 1945
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart
Succeeded by	Hans Kolfschoten
In office 10 August 1939 – 21 February 1942
Prime Minister	Dirk Jan de Geer (1939–1940) Himself (1940–1942)
Preceded by	Johan de Visser
Succeeded by	Jan van Angeren
Personal details
Born	Pieter Gerbrandij (1885-04-13)13 April 1885 Goënga, Netherlands
Died	7 September 1961(1961-09-07) (aged 76) The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	Anti-Revolutionary Party
Spouse	Hendrina Elisabeth Sikkel ​ (m. 1911)​
Children	2 sons and 1 daughter
Alma mater	Free University Amsterdam

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (born Pieter Gerbrandij; 13 April 1885 – 7 September 1961) was an important Dutch politician and a lawyer. He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945. During World War II, when the Netherlands was occupied by Germany, he led the Dutch government from London, working closely with Queen Wilhelmina. He was a member of the Anti-Revolutionary Party.

Early Life and Education

Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy was born on 13 April 1885. His birthplace was the village of Goënga, which is near Sneek in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. He was from the Frisian ethnic group. His name follows a traditional Frisian style. "Sjoerds" means "son of Sjoerd."

In June 1904, Pieter started studying law at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He earned his law degree in January 1911. After finishing his studies, he worked as a lawyer and a prosecutor from 1911 to 1920.

Beginning His Political Career

Gerbrandy started his political journey in local government. From April 1916 to January 1930, he was a member of the Municipal Council of Sneek. He also served on the Provincial Council of Friesland from July 1919 to August 1920. Later, he was part of the Provincial Executive of Friesland from August 1920 to January 1930.

He continued to be a member of the Provincial Council of Friesland for the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) from 1920 to 1930. In 1939, he became the Minister of Justice, even though his party initially disagreed with this choice.

Leading During World War II

In 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands during World War II. Because of this, the Dutch royal family and many government leaders had to leave the country. They went to London and formed a government-in-exile.

When the previous prime minister, Dirk Jan de Geer, resigned, Queen Wilhelmina chose Gerbrandy to be the new prime minister. He led the Dutch government from London. During this time, he also served as the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Colonial Affairs. His leadership was very important for the Netherlands during the German occupation.

After the War

After the southern part of the Netherlands was freed in 1945, Gerbrandy created a new government. However, he resigned once the entire country was liberated. He had different ideas about how the Netherlands should deal with Indonesia, which was a Dutch colony at the time.

From 1946 to 1950, he led a group called the National Committee for the Maintenance of the Kingdom's Unity. This group was against Indonesia becoming independent. They also supported the Republic of South Maluku.

In 1950, Gerbrandy wrote a book called Indonesia. This book explained the history between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). It covered the period from the 1600s to 1948. The book included sections like "The Indies under Dutch rule" and "The Japanese Occupation."

In 1948, Gerbrandy returned to the Dutch Parliament as a member. He served there until 1959, when he resigned.

Personal Life

On 18 May 1911, Pieter Gerbrandy married Hendrina Elisabeth Sikkel. She was born on 26 February 1886 and passed away on 4 May 1980. Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy died on 7 September 1961 in The Hague, when he was 76 years old.

Awards and Honors

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	6 May 1946	Elevated from Knight (28 August 1930)
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	5 April 1955
	Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau	Luxembourg
	Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire	United Kingdom
Honorific titles
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Minister of State	Netherlands	5 April 1955	Style of Excellency