Victor Marijnen

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Victor Marijnen (1963)

Victor Gerard Marie Marijnen (born February 21, 1917 in Arnhem , † April 5, 1975 in The Hague ) was a Dutch politician .

Marijnen studied law at the University of Nijmegen and graduated in 1941. As a member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP), he was Minister of Agriculture from 1959 to 1963 and Prime Minister from 1963 to 1965 . From 1968 until his death he was mayor of The Hague.

biography

Training and first career stages

Victor Marijnen was born in 1917 in Arnhem as the son of the shop owner Gerardus Wilhelm Marijnen and his wife Cornélie Eugenie Hélène Marie Kimman. After graduating from school, he began to study law at the local Roman Catholic University in nearby Nijmegen, which he completed in 1941 with his doctorate . He then found a job with the Dutch government, where he worked in the accounting department for the ministries of agriculture and fisheries as well as the economy. After the end of the Second World War , Marijnen was appointed to the Raad voor het Rechtsherstel (in German roughly: “Council for the Restoration of Rights”), which was founded in 1945 and coordinated the restoration of orderly jurisdiction and the repeal of the resolutions passed by the German occupiers. Here he headed the Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Industry until 1949. After a brief interlude as secretary at the Agricultural Foundation, Marijnen returned to the Ministry of Agriculture in 1951, where he initially worked as Deputy Director for Foreign Affairs of Agricultural Trade and later as Head of the Department for Agricultural Trade, Industry and Export Promotion. In these functions he earned a reputation as a distinct expert on agricultural issues and international trade relations.

Cabinet member and Prime Minister

In the parliamentary elections of 1959 , Marijnen was high on the electoral list of the KVP and was consequently considered a safe candidate for entry into the Second Chamber of the States General . Somewhat surprisingly, however, he was also eligible for a cabinet post and was awarded the position of head of the Agriculture Ministry in the government of Prime Minister Jan de Quay . As a minister, Marijnen was an outspoken supporter of the so-called Groene Front (German: "Green Front"), i.e. the close cooperation between the government, agricultural organizations and agricultural education and research institutions. During his tenure, however, the Dutch agricultural sector - which had boomed since the end of the war, especially in export issues - experienced a crisis, as increased mechanization put pressure on smaller businesses in particular. Another focus of his work was the increasingly closer cooperation with the other countries of the European Economic Community and the coordination of the common agricultural policy.

The Marijnen cabinet on July 23, 1963. Victor Marijnen seated third from the left between Jo Schouwenaar-Franssen and Barend Biesheuvel .

Following the parliamentary elections in 1963 , the previous government coalition, consisting of the KVP, ARP , CHU and VVD, was able to retain its majority, but the previous Prime Minister de Quay did not stand for another term of office despite great popularity among the population. As his designated successor, the KVP had chosen Marijnen, who was then charged with forming the cabinet. The Cabinet Marijnen benefited domestically especially from a period of economic boom , inter alia, by significant natural gas discoveries has been favored in the area of the Netherlands. The economic growth in 1964 was strong 8.6%, wages rose by an average of more than 15%. As a result, one focus of Marijnen's government was on expanding social security and legislation, which led to a sharp increase in public spending. Marijnen received general praise for his handling of the so-called "Irene Affair", which was triggered by the intended marriage of Princess Irene to the Spanish heir to the throne Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma . Among other things, it was asked to what extent the ministerial responsibility also applies to members of the royal family other than the current head of state, as well as the question of whether a Catholic could ascend the Dutch throne. Marijnen's term of office as Prime Minister came to an early end in February 1965 when his government broke up in the wake of the so-called "broadcasting crisis " ( Dutch omroepcrisis ). The background to this were disputes over the approval of new broadcasters and the design of television advertising .

Mayor of The Hague

After the end of his ministerial presidency, Marijnen was disappointed with the way this had come about, among other things, all other CIP members of his cabinet were transferred to the new government under Jo Cals . As a result, in 1966 he renounced his seat in the Second Chamber and turned to new activities outside of national politics. In 1968 he was elected Mayor of The Hague, an office he would hold until his death. In this role, he focused, among other things, on the development of the Scheveningen district , which was badly damaged during the Second World War due to its location in the restricted area of ​​the Atlantic Wall , and expanded it again into an important seaside resort . He also campaigned for improved cooperation between the individual communities in the greater The Hague area.

In addition to his office as mayor, Marijnen had various other activities. Among other things, he was a curator at the University of Nijmegen until 1972. He also advised the Dutch government on economic issues in connection with the Benelux cooperation. Victor Marijnen finally died in The Hague in 1975. He left behind his wife and six children.

Web links

Commons : Victor Marijnen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Raad voor het Rechtsherstel. In: archieven.nl. NIOD, November 28, 2012, accessed September 25, 2019 (Dutch).
  2. ↑ H. van den Berge: Ondergang van het Groene Front. In: digibron.nl. January 8, 1996, accessed September 25, 2019 (Dutch).
  3. ^ Kabinet-Marijnen (1963-1965). In: parlement.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019 (Dutch).
  4. ↑ Kwestie-Irene 1964. In: parlement.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019 (Dutch).
  5. ↑ Kabinetscrisis 1965: de omroepcrisis. In: parlement.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019 (Dutch).
predecessor Office successor
Hans Kolfschoten Mayor of The Hague
1968–1975 		Frans Schols
personal data
SURNAME Marijnen, Victor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Marijnen, Victor Gerard Marie (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch politician (Prime Minister 1963-1965)
DATE OF BIRTH February 21, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Arnhem
DATE OF DEATH April 5th 1975
Place of death The hague