Wim van Eekelen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wim van Eekelen
Van Eekelen in 1978
Member of the Senate
In office 13 June 1995 – 10 June 2003
Parliamentary group	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Secretary General of the Western European Union
In office 15 May 1989 – 15 November 1994
Preceded by	Alfred Cahen
Succeeded by	José Cutileiro
Minister of Defence
In office 14 July 1986 – 6 September 1988
Prime Minister	Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by	Job de Ruiter
Succeeded by	Piet Bukman (Ad interim)
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In office 5 November 1982 – 14 July 1986
Prime Minister	Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by	Hans van den Broek
Succeeded by	René van der Linden
State Secretary for Defence
In office 20 January 1978 – 11 September 1981 Serving with Cees van Lent
Prime Minister	Dries van Agt
Preceded by	Cees van Lent
Succeeded by	Bram Stemerdink Jan van Houwelingen
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 3 June 1986 – 14 July 1986
In office 25 August 1981 – 5 November 1982
In office 8 June 1977 – 20 January 1978
Parliamentary group	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Personal details
Born	Willem Frederik van Eekelen (1931-02-05)5 February 1931 Utrecht, Netherlands
Died	25 June 2025(2025-06-25) (aged 94) The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (from 1955)
Residences	The Hague, Netherlands
Alma mater	Utrecht University (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, Doctor of Philosophy) Princeton University (A.B.)
Occupation	Politician · Diplomat · Civil servant · Jurist · Political scientist · Researcher · Political consultant · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Lobbyist · Author
Military service
Allegiance	Netherlands
Branch/service	Royal Netherlands Army
Years of service	1956–1957 (Conscription) 1957–1961 (Reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Regiment Huzaren van Boreel
Battles/wars	Cold War

Willem Frederik "Wim" van Eekelen (born 5 February 1931, died 25 June 2025) was an important Dutch person. He worked as a politician, a diplomat (someone who represents their country abroad), and a political scientist (someone who studies how governments work).

Wim's Early Life and Schooling

Wim van Eekelen went to a special high school called a Gymnasium in Utrecht, Netherlands. He studied there from 1943 to 1949. After that, he went to Utrecht University to study Law. He earned his first law degree in 1951.

He also studied in the United States at Princeton University. In 1952, he wrote a big paper about "The Marshall Plan" and how it helped the Netherlands. He then got another law degree from Utrecht University in 1954.

Wim also served in the military. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Netherlands Army for about a year, from 1956 to 1957. This was part of his military service.

After his military service, Wim started working for the government. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1957. He worked as an Attaché, which is a junior diplomat, in places like New Delhi, India, and London, England. He also went back to Utrecht University to get his highest degree, a doctorate, in political science in 1964.

Wim's Work in Government

Wim continued his diplomatic work in different countries. He served as an Attaché in Accra, Ghana. He also worked for the Netherlands' team at the European Union. This is a group of European countries that work together. He was a Consul for the European Economic Community, which was a part of the EU.

Later, he became a Director-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This meant he was in charge of important topics like international cooperation and security.

Becoming a Politician

In 1977, Wim van Eekelen was elected to the House of Representatives. This is like the main parliament where laws are made. He became a State Secretary for Defence, helping the Minister of Defence.

He was elected to the House of Representatives again in 1981. Then, in 1982, he became State Secretary for Foreign Affairs. In this role, he helped manage the country's relationships with other nations.

He was elected to the House of Representatives one more time in 1986. Soon after, he became the Minister of Defence. This was a very important job, as he was in charge of the country's armed forces.

In 1988, Wim resigned from his role as Minister of Defence. This happened after a report looked into how a certain matter was handled when he was State Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Minister of Defence Wim van Eekelen and Minister of Defence of France André Giraud at the Ministry of Defence on 13 April 1987.

International Roles and the Senate

After leaving his minister job, Wim took on a big international role. He became the Secretary General of the Western European Union. This was an organization that helped European countries work together on defense and security. He held this position from 1989 to 1994.

In 1995, Wim was elected as a Member of the Senate. This is another important part of the Dutch parliament. He worked there until 2003, leading several committees. He decided to retire from politics in 2003.

Life After Politics

After 26 years in politics, Wim van Eekelen retired. But he didn't stop working! He joined many different organizations. He served on the boards of companies and non-profit groups. These included the Institute for Multiparty Democracy and the Carnegie Foundation.

He also continued to work as a diplomat and a lobbyist. A lobbyist tries to convince lawmakers to support certain ideas. Wim worked to promote Democracy, the NATO alliance, and European integration. This means he believed in countries working together in Europe.

Wim was known for being a great negotiator. He was also good at building consensus, which means helping groups agree. He often shared his thoughts on political matters. He was also special because he was the only Dutch person to be the Secretary General of the Western European Union.

Wim van Eekelen passed away on 25 June 2025, when he was 94 years old.

Awards and Honours

Wim van Eekelen received many special awards from different countries. These awards are called "decorations" or "honours." They are given to people who have done important work.

Honours

Ribbon	Award Name	Country	Date
	Grand Cross of the Order of Merit	Germany	12 October 1984
	Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II	Belgium	15 September 1986
	Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour	France	17 February 1987
	Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	10 December 1988
	Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	20 November 1994
	Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit	Poland	6 May 1998
	Commander of the Order of the Star	Romania	13 June 2018