Fia van Veenendaal-van Meggelen

Fia van Veenendaal-van Meggelen (1970)

Sophia "Fia" van Veenendaal-van Meggelen (birth name: Sophia van Meggelen ; born April 7, 1918 in Strijp , province of North Brabant ; † September 21, 2005 in Eindhoven ) was a Dutch politician of the Sociaal-Democratische Arbeiderspartij (SDAP), the Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA) and most recently the Democratisch Socialisten '70 (DS '70), who was the only woman in the Biesheuvel cabinet between 1971 and 1972 as State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Leisure Activities and Welfare .

Life

Trade union official, local and provincial politician

Fia van Meggelen, whose father Willem Karel Gerardus Cornelis van Meggelen was an employee in the housing ministry and between 1936 and 1940 a member of the Zeist municipal council, attended the public primary school in Rotterdam from 1924 to 1930 and then between 1930 and 1934 the public extended primary school MULO (Meer uitgebreid lager onderwijs) in Zeist . She worked as a nanny from 1936 to 1939, during which time she joined the Sociaal-Democratische Arbeiderspartij (SDAP) in 1936, which she formed the Partij van de until they merged with the Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond (VDB) and the Christelijk Democratische Unie (CDU) Arbeid (PvdA) on February 6, 1946.

After the end of the Second World War , she was a member of the main board and secretary of the women's association in the Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen (NVV), the umbrella organization of the trade unions, between 1948 and 1956 . After training as a career counselor from 1955 to 1957, she worked as a career counselor at the regional employment office GAB (Gewestelijk Arbeidsbureau) in Eindhoven between 1957 and 1970 .

At the same time, Fia van Veenendaal-van Meggelen began her political commitment in the early 1960s and was a member of the Eindhoven City Council as a representative of the PvdA between September 4, 1962 and February 1971. There she functioned between 1967 and January 1970 as chair of the PvdA parliamentary group . In addition, she was from June 1963 to July 28, 1970 also a member of the provincial parliament ( Provinciale Staten ) of the Province of North Brabant .

Member of the Second Chamber and State Secretary

Fia van Veenendaal-van Meggelen with the other two members of Groep Goedhart , Wybrand Schuitemaker (left) and Frans Goedhart (right), after they moved into the Second Chamber on July 28, 1970

After she left the PvdA on January 8, 1970, she joined the newly founded Democratisch Socialisten '70 (DS '70) on February 14, 1970 and became a member of the Second Chamber of the States General for them on July 28, 1970 , to which she belonged until July 28, 1971. From April 29 to July 28, 1971 she was secretary of the DS '70 faction and during this time she joined the Groep Goedhart , a splinter group formed by Frans Goedhart and Wybrand Schuitemaker .

On July 28, 1971, Fia van Veenendaal-van Meggelen was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Leisure Time and Welfare (Staatssecretaris van Cultuur, Recreatie en Maatschappelijk Werk) in the cabinet of Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel . She was a member of that government until July 21, 1972, making her the only woman in the cabinet. As State Secretary, she was particularly responsible for social services, assistance and extraordinary pensions. After leaving the government, she was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dutch Lion on August 29, 1972 .

As a candidate for the DS '70, she was again a member of the Second Chamber of the States General on December 7, 1972, to which she was a member until June 8, 1977. The defeat in the provincial and municipal council elections in 1974 led to a split in the party and internal conflicts over political orientation. In April 1975 there was a final break with the result that four of the six members of the DS '70 around their parliamentary group chairman Mauk de Brauw resigned their mandate, while Fia van Veenendaal-van Meggelen was the only member of her party to stand alongside the former top candidate Willem Drees Jr. remained in the second chamber. She was treasurer from November 30, 1972 to August 26, 1975 and then vice-chairwoman of the DS '70 parliamentary group between August 26, 1975 and August 7, 1977.

Web links

• CV in Parlement & Politiek