Klaas Wiersma

Klaas Wiersma

Klaas Wiersma (born February 28, 1917 in Hengelo , Province of Overijssel , † January 5, 1993 in Wassenaar , Province of South Holland ) was a Dutch legal scholar , university professor and the politician of the Partij van de Vrijheid (PvdV) and the Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ( VVD), who was among other things first State Secretary of the Netherlands in the Ministry of Justice and for several years a member of the High Council of the Netherlands , the highest ordinary court of the Netherlands in The Hague , and the Council of State ( Raad van State ).

Life

Studies, professional career and university lecturer

After attending the primary school in Bloemendaal and the local Kennemer Lyceum Overveen , Wiersma began studying private law at the University of Leiden in July 1934 , which he completed in December 1939. He then worked from 1939 to 1942 as a repetitionist for civil law and, from 1941 to 1942, was vice secretary at the school for government mediators. After working as vice-secretary of the dairy industry association , he was acting secretary of the Queen's Commissioner for the province of North Holland until December 1945 .

Wiersma, who was one of the founders of the VVD in 1948, then worked between December 1945 and August 1955 as secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Reich University of Leiden. During this period also took place on 20 February 1952 his promotion to Dr. jur. "Cum laude" with a dissertation on objections from third parties under the title Het derden verzet .

In August 1955 he took over a professorship for introduction to Dutch law at the University of Groningen and was then professor for civil law and civil law claims at the Faculty of Law and Economics between January 1959 and September 1962 . He then returned to the University of Leiden and took over a professorship for notary law , which he held until April 1970. During this time, on April 6, 1964, Queen Juliana appointed him government commissioner for the revision of the law of succession in the fourth book of the New Civil Code ( Nieuw Burgerlijk Wetboek ) and served in this capacity on April 20, 1970.

State Secretary and Member of the High Council of the Netherlands

On April 20, 1970, Prime Minister Piet de Jong appointed him State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice in his cabinet . As such, he was the first State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice in the history of the Dutch government. In this capacity, he supported Justice Minister Carel Polak until July 6, 1971 in all legal matters that were not related to the legislative process and legal organization.

After leaving the government, Wiersma became a Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion on July 17, 1971 .

A few months later he returned to the University of Leiden as a professor in October 1971, where he held the chair for civil law and notary law until January 1974 .

Subsequently, on January 2, 1974, he became a member of the High Council of the Netherlands, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands for ordinary jurisdiction, and was a member of this for more than seven years until September 1, 1981. In addition, he was appointed a member of the Council of State ( Raad van State ) for special tasks on August 5, 1977 by royal resolution of Queen Juliana . He was a member of this constitutional body advising the Dutch government until March 1, 1986.

For his many years of service in politics and the legal system, Wiersma was also appointed commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau on April 29, 1982 .

Publications

• Het derden verzet , dissertation, Reichsuniversität Leiden, 1952
• Algemene leer van verbintenissen II , co-author Huib Drion , 1959
• De vorderingen uit onrechtmatige daden uit overeenkomst , 1960
• Schenking en hercodificatie , 1974

Web links

• Parlement & Politiek
• Biographical Portaal van Nederland
• Curriculum vitae (europa-nu.nl, accessed on June 9, 2012)
• Oud-Staatssecretaris Wiersma overleden (Obituary of the Kenniscentrum Gereformeerde Gezindte , accessed on June 9, 2012)