Willem Aantjes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Willem Aantjes
Willem Aantjes in 1974
Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party
In office 7 March 1973 – 25 May 1977
Preceded by	Barend Biesheuvel
Succeeded by	Office discontinued
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives
In office 19 December 1977 – 7 November 1978
Preceded by	Dries van Agt
Succeeded by	Ruud Lubbers
Parliamentary group	Christian Democratic Appeal
In office 7 March 1973 – 8 June 1977
Preceded by	Barend Biesheuvel
Succeeded by	Office discontinued
In office 6 July 1971 – 7 December 1972
Preceded by	Barend Biesheuvel
Succeeded by	Barend Biesheuvel
Parliamentary group	Anti-Revolutionary Party
Deputy Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party
In office 23 February 1967 – 7 March 1973
Leader	Barend Biesheuvel
Preceded by	Bauke Roolvink
Succeeded by	Gerrit van Dam
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 26 May 1959 – 7 November 1978
Parliamentary group	Christian Democratic Appeal (1977–1978) Anti-Revolutionary Party (1959–1977)
Personal details
Born	Willem Aantjes (1923-01-16)16 January 1923 Bleskensgraaf, Netherlands
Died	22 October 2015(2015-10-22) (aged 92) Utrecht, Netherlands
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Anti-Revolutionary Party (until 1980)
Spouses	Gisela Braun ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1995)​ Ineke Ludikhuize ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	2 sons and 1 daughter
Alma mater	Utrecht University (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws)
Occupation	Politician · Jurist · Nonprofit director

Willem "Wim" Aantjes (born January 16, 1923 – died October 22, 2015) was an important Dutch politician. He was a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party.

Aantjes was trained as a jurist, which means he studied law. He became a Member of the House of Representatives on May 26, 1959. This happened after the general election that year.

He served as the leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1972. During this time, Barend Biesheuvel was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Aantjes later became the main leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party in 1973. He also led the party in the House of Representatives until 1977.

After that, he became the leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) in the House of Representatives. He held this position from December 1977 until November 1978, when he decided to step down from politics.

Biography

Early Life

Willem Aantjes was born on January 16, 1923. His birthplace was Bleskensgraaf, a town in the South Holland province of the Netherlands. His father, Klaas Aantjes, was an alderman in Bleskensgraaf. An alderman is like a local council member. His father also served as a mayor for a short time in another town. Willem's brother, Jan Aantjes, also became a mayor of several towns.

Willem went to the Marnix Gymnasium school in Rotterdam. In 1940, he started working for the postal company PTT. In 1943, during World War II, he was sent to Güstrow to deliver mail as part of a forced labor program. He later explained that he did not refuse to go because he did not want a married co-worker to be sent instead of him.

In 1944, Aantjes wanted to return to the Netherlands. He faced a difficult situation where he was assigned to a military division. He was given a uniform but refused to wear it or join. Because of this, he was arrested and held in a work camp near Assen. After the war ended in May 1945, Aantjes went to Utrecht University to study law. He did not talk about his wartime experiences for many years.

Political Career

Parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal Dries van Agt and Willem Aantjes in 1977.

Aantjes began his political career as a member of the House of Representatives in 1959. He represented the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). In 1967, he was offered a position as a government minister for housing. However, he turned it down. This was because some people knew about his difficult wartime past. He felt it might cause problems if he became a minister.

On July 6, 1971, Aantjes became the leader of the ARP group in the House of Representatives. He played a very important role in bringing together three Christian political parties. These were the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), the Christian Historical Union (CHU), and the Catholic People's Party (KVP). They merged to form the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

In 1975, Aantjes gave a famous speech at the first joint meeting of these three parties. This speech helped unite them into the CDA. After the 1977 general election, Aantjes was offered the role of Minister of Justice. Again, he refused. He said he wanted to focus on building up the new CDA party. On December 20, 1977, he became the first leader of the CDA party in the House of Representatives.

Decorations

Willem Aantjes received special honours for his work. These are awards given to people who have done important things for their country.

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	29 April 1970