Roelof Kruisinga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roelof Kruisinga
Roelof Kruisinga in 1973
Member of the Senate
In office 10 June 1981 – 11 June 1991
Parliamentary group	Christian Democratic Appeal
Minister of Defence
In office 19 December 1977 – 4 March 1978
Prime Minister	Dries van Agt
Preceded by	Bram Stemerdink
Succeeded by	Jan de Koning (Ad interim)
Leader of the Christian Historical Union
In office 1 July 1973 – 25 May 1977
Deputy	Durk van der Mei
Preceded by	Arnold Tilanus
Succeeded by	Office discontinued
State Secretary for Transport and Water Management
In office 28 July 1971 – 20 March 1973
Prime Minister	Barend Biesheuvel
Preceded by	Mike Keyzer
Succeeded by	Michel van Hulten
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 1 July 1973 – 25 May 1977
Preceded by	Arnold Tilanus
Succeeded by	Office discontinued
In office 6 July 1971 – 26 July 1971
Preceded by	Bé Udink
Succeeded by	Jur Mellema
Parliamentary group	Christian Historical Union
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 19 December 1972 – 19 December 1977
In office 11 May 1971 – 28 July 1971
Parliamentary group	Christian Historical Union
State Secretary for Social Affairs and Health
In office 18 April 1967 – 6 July 1971
Prime Minister	Piet de Jong
Preceded by	José de Meijer Louis Bartels
Succeeded by	Koos Rietkerk as State Secretary for Social Affairs Jo Hendriks as State Secretary for Health and Environment (1973)
Personal details
Born	Roelof Johannes Hendrik Kruisinga (1922-08-27)27 August 1922 Grijpskerk, Netherlands
Died	7 December 2012(2012-12-07) (aged 90) Wassenaar, Netherlands
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Christian Historical Union (until 1980)
Spouse	Anna van Beek ​ (m. 1950)​
Children	Jurjen Kruisinga Hugo Kruisinga
Alma mater	University of Groningen (Bachelor of Medical Sciences, Master of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy) University of Oxford (Master of Surgery)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Physician · Medical researcher · Health administrator · Nonprofit director · Author
Military service
Allegiance	Netherlands
Branch/service	Royal Netherlands Army
Years of service	1951–1953 (Conscription)
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Medical Services
Battles/wars	Cold War

Roelof Johannes Hendrik Kruisinga (born August 27, 1922 – died December 7, 2012) was a Dutch politician and a doctor. He was a member of the Christian Historical Union (CHU) party. Later, he joined the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party.

Early Life and Education

Roelof Kruisinga was born in Grijpskerk, a town in the Netherlands. He went to a type of high school called a Gymnasium in Zutphen. After that, he started studying Medicine at the University of Groningen in 1941.

During World War II, he was arrested in May 1942. He was held in a camp until July 1944. After the war ended, he went back to his studies. He earned his first medical degree in 1946.

Kruisinga continued his studies and became a doctor in 1950. He specialized in otorhinolaryngology, which is the study of ear, nose, and throat problems. He also served in the Royal Netherlands Army as a Sergeant for two years. He earned more advanced degrees, including a PhD, in 1955.

Career as a Doctor and Civil Servant

From 1955 to 1962, Roelof Kruisinga worked as an ear, nose, and throat doctor. He worked at hospitals in Groningen and Leeuwarden. He also worked as an inspector for the Dutch Health Care Inspectorate. This meant he checked if health care was being provided correctly.

In 1962, he started working for the government. He became a high-ranking civil servant in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. He helped manage public health services in the Netherlands.

Political Journey

Starting in Government

In 1967, Roelof Kruisinga became a State Secretary for Social Affairs and Health. A State Secretary is like a junior minister. He worked in the government led by Prime Minister Piet de Jong.

In 1971, he was elected to the House of Representatives. This is one of the main parts of the Dutch parliament. He also briefly served as the Parliamentary leader for his party, the Christian Historical Union. This meant he was the main spokesperson for his party in parliament.

Later in 1971, he became the State Secretary for Transport and Water Management. He helped manage things like roads, railways, and water systems. His government, called the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, lasted about a year. It fell apart because of disagreements over the budget.

Leading a Party

In 1973, Kruisinga became the official leader of the Christian Historical Union party. He was also the party's leader in the House of Representatives.

In 1976, his party, the Christian Historical Union, decided to join with two other parties. They formed a new, bigger party called the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). Dries van Agt became the first leader of this new party.

Minister of Defence

In 1977, Roelof Kruisinga was appointed Minister of Defence. He was in charge of the country's military. He took office in December 1977.

However, he resigned just three months later, in March 1978. He disagreed with the government's decision not to speak out against the United States for developing a new type of weapon. He felt strongly about this issue.

Later Political Roles

After leaving the government, Kruisinga worked for the World Health Organization (WHO). This is a global organization that focuses on health. He was a senior adviser and later a Deputy Director-General.

From 1981 to 1991, he was a Member of the Senate in the Netherlands. The Senate is the other part of the Dutch parliament. After his political career, he served on the boards of many non-profit organizations. These included groups like the Netherlands Cancer Institute and the Netherlands Red Cross.

He passed away in 2012 at the age of 90 in Wassenaar.

Decorations and Awards

Roelof Kruisinga received several important honors for his work:

• He was made a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 1973.
• He received the Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II from Belgium in 1978.
• He was made a Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 1980.
• He received the Commander of the Legion of Honour from France in 1982.
• He was awarded the Medal for Merits from Slovenia in 2000.

Images for kids

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  Roelof Kruisinga (left) with Dries van Agt during a meeting in The Hague in 1977.