Roelof Kruisinga

Roelof Kruisinga (1978)

Roelof Johannes Hendrik Kruisinga (born August 27, 1922 in Grijpskerke , province of Zeeland ; † December 7, 2012 in Wassenaar , province of South Holland ) was a Dutch doctor and politician at the Christelijk-Historische Unie (CHU) and most recently the Christian Democratisch Appèl (CDA) who was both State Secretary and a member of the Second Chamber and the First Chamber of the States General . He was also briefly Minister of Defense and Vice President of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Life

Doctor and medical officer

After attending primary schools in Grijskerke and Ruurlo and the Rijks Hogere Burgerschool in Zutphen and Leeuwarden during the occupation of the Netherlands by the German Wehrmacht in 1941, Kruisinga, whose father was also a doctor, initially began studying at the agricultural school in Leeuwarden. In 1941 he began studying medicine at the Reich University of Groningen , which he had to interrupt after his arrest by the Reichsführer SS's security service during the Second World War .

After the end of the war, he continued his studies and graduated cum laude on October 12, 1950. After working as a research assistant at the University of Groningen from 1946 to 1950, after completing his studies he worked there as a scientific assistant for ear, nose and throat medicine between 1951 and 1956 and also served in the military between 1951 and 1953 Armed forces . At this time he began his political engagement in the CHU and was initially secretary of the CHU district association Groningen from 1952 to 1953 and chairman of the CHU and later the CDA of Leeuwarden between 1956 and 1991.

After further post-graduate studies at the University of Aberdeen and the Magdalen College of the University of Oxford on November 2, 1955 took place at the University of Groningen his promotion to Dr. med., which he also completed cum laude with a dissertation entitled Over de validiteit van het gehoororgaan .

He then settled as an ear, nose and throat doctor in Leeuwarden between 1956 and 1960 and then worked from April 1, 1960 to September 1, 1962 in government service as a medical inspector for public health in the province of Friesland . Then Kruisinga moved to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Health ( Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Volksgezondheid ) and was there initially from September 1, 1962 to 1964 Director for Scientific Research and Planning and then until June 1, 1965 Director for Health Protection. After he was at the same time acting Director General for Public Health, he served between June 1, 1965 and April 18, 1967 as Director General for Public Health in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Health.

In addition to his civil service, he served as chairman of the CHU Commission for Public Health from 1960 to 1965. Furthermore, Kruisinga was involved in various organizations and was a board member of the psychiatric facility Licht en Kracht in Assen in 1961 and chairman of the Reformed Association for the Mentally Ill and Nervous Between 1961 and 1964. He was also a member of the National Planning Commission ( Rijksplanologische Commissie ) until 1967 .

State Secretary and Member of the States General

On April 18, 1967, Kruisinga was appointed State Secretary for Public Health in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Health by Prime Minister Piet de Jong and held this office in the De Jong cabinet until July 6, 1971.

Between May 11 and July 28, 1971, he was a member of the Second Chamber of the States General for the Christelijk-Historische Unie (CHU), where he was initially deputy chairman from April 29, 1971 and then chairman from July 6 to 26, 1971 the parliamentary group of the CHU.

The new Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel appointed him on July 28, 1971 State Secretary for Transport Matters and Air and Water Pollution Control in the Ministry of Transport and Waterways ( Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat ). At the same time, on June 1, 1972, he also took over responsibility for post, telegraphy and telecommunications in this ministry and kept the post of State Secretary in the Biesheuvel cabinet until March 20, 1973. From 1971 to 1975, he also held the position of chairman of the association for Gerontology.

On December 20, 1972, Kruisinga was again a member of the Second Chamber of the States General and represented the interests of the CHU until December 19, 1977. After leaving the Biesheuvel government, he acted again between July 1, 1973 and May 25, 1977 as chairman of the CHU parliamentary group in this chamber and at the same time political leader of the party. Furthermore, from November 15, 1973 to March 1976, he was chairman of a special commission of the Second Chamber on a bill to establish a science council to advise the government.

On June 8, 1973, Kruisinga, who was also awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dutch Lion , was commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau .

In addition, he acted together with Willem Aantjes and Frans Andriessen alternately as chairman of the joint parliamentary group of the Anti-Revolutionaire Partij (ARP), CHU and Katholieke Volkspartij (KVP) in the Second Chamber from September 1975 to May 1977 and then from 6 June to December 19, 1977 Second Vice Chairman of the CHU parliamentary group in the Second Chamber.

Defense Minister, WHO official and member of the First Chamber of the States General

Prime Minister Dries van Agt appointed him Minister of Defense ( Minister van Defensie ) on December 19, 1978 in his first cabinet , to which he was a member until March 4, 1978.

On August 16, 1978 Kruisinga went to the World Health Organization (WHO), for which he initially worked as a consultant for environmental protection until June 1, 1979, before he was then from June 1, 1979 to May 1982 member of the Executive Council and Vice President of the WHO. In 1979 he was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Agency for Research on Cancer .

In addition, Kruisinga was between June 10, 1981 and June 11, 1991 member of the First Chamber of the States General, where he now represented the Christian Democratisch Appèl (CDA) founded on October 11, 1980. At the same time he acted from June 23, 1981 to June 23, 1987 Chairman of the Standing Committee of the First Chamber for Agriculture and Fisheries and then until June 11, 1991 Chairman of the Standing Committee of the First Chamber for Organizations of European Cooperation and at the same time acting Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

During this time, from November 1, 1982 to 1987, he was also chairman of the project organization for academic hospitals and, since 1987, chairman of the supervisory board of STERLAB, a foundation for laboratories for the recognition of parenthood. He was also Honorary Consul General of Slovenia between 1990 and 2000 .

Web links

Commons : Roelof Kruisinga  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Parlement & Politiek
• Oud-minister Kruisinga overleden . In: NOS of December 10, 2012