Jelle Zijlstra

Jelle Zijlstra
President of the Central Bank of the Netherlands
In office August 1, 1967 – January 1, 1982
Preceded by	Marius Holtrop
Succeeded by	Wim Duisenberg
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office November 22, 1966 – April 5, 1967
Monarch	Juliana
Deputy	Jan de Quay Barend Biesheuvel
Preceded by	Jo Cals
Succeeded by	Piet de Jong
Minister of Finance
In office November 22, 1966 – April 5, 1967
Prime Minister	Jelle Zijlstra
Preceded by	Anne Vondeling
Succeeded by	Johan Witteveen
Member of the Senate
In office June 25, 1963 – November 22, 1966
Minister of Finance
In office December 22, 1958 – July 24, 1963
Prime Minister	Louis Beel (1958–1959) Jan de Quay (1959–1963)
Preceded by	Henk Hofstra
Succeeded by	Johan Witteveen
Party leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party
In office December 29, 1958 – May 26, 1959
Preceded by	Sieuwert Bruins Slot
Succeeded by	Sieuwert Bruins Slot
Member of the House of Representatives
In office July 3, 1956 – October 3, 1956
Parliamentary leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives
In office June 14, 1956 – October 3, 1956
Preceded by	Jan Schouten
Succeeded by	Sieuwert Bruins Slot
Party leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party
In office April 23, 1956 – October 3, 1956
Preceded by	Jan Schouten
Succeeded by	Sieuwert Bruins Slot
Minister of Economic Affairs
In office September 2, 1952 – May 19, 1959
Prime Minister	Willem Drees (1952–1958) Louis Beel (1958–1959)
Preceded by	Jan van den Brink
Succeeded by	Jan Willem de Pous
Personal details
Born	Jelle Zijlstra (1918-08-27)August 27, 1918 Oosterbierum, Netherlands
Died	December 23, 2001(2001-12-23) (aged 83) Wassenaar, Netherlands
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Anti Revolutionary Party (until 1980)
Spouse	Hetty Bloksma (1946-2001)
Children	3 daughters and 2 sons
Alma mater	Erasmus University Rotterdam (M.Econ, PhD)
Occupation	Politician Economist Banker Author Professor

Jelle Zijlstra (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɛlə ˈzɛiɫstraː]; August 27, 1918 – December 23, 2001) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party (ARP) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from November 22, 1966 until April 5, 1967.

A Economist by occupation, he became a professor of Economics at the Vrije Universiteit the age of thirty in 1948. Zijlstra was asked to become Minister of Economic Affairs after the Dutch general election of 1952 in the Cabinet Drees II under Prime Minister Willem Drees of the Labour Party, he resigned as a professor the same day he took office as the new Minister of Economic Affairs on September 2, 1952. Zijlstra became the lijsttrekker (top candidate) of the Anti Revolutionary Party for the Dutch general election of 1956 and served as Party leader from April 23, 1956 tot October 3, 1956, and as the Parliamentary leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives from June 14, 1956 tot October 3, 1956 and a Member of the House of Representatives from July 3, 1956 tot October 3, 1956. After a slow cabinet formation the Cabinet Drees III was formed and Zijlstra remaind as Minister of Economic Affairs. The Cabinet Drees III fell on December 22, 1958 and a caretaker cabinet was formed by former Prime Minister Louis Beel of the Catholic People's Party. Zijlstra remaind as Minister of Economic Affairs and dual served as Minister of Finance in the Cabinet Beel II. Zijlstra again became the lijsttrekker for the Anti Revolutionary Party during the Dutch general election of 1959, and served as Party leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party a second time from December 29, 1958 until May 26, 1959. After a more quicker formation the new Cabinet De Quay was formed on May 19, 1959. Zijlstra remaind as Minister of Finance under the new Prime Minister Jan de Quay of the Catholic People's Party, and served until July 24, 1963 when the Cabinet Marijnen was installed.

Zijlstra became a Member of the Senate on June 25, 1963 and returned to the Vrije Universiteit as a associate professor of Public finances. On October 14, 1966 the Cabinet Cals the successor of the Cabinet Marijnen fell after the Party leader of the Catholic People's Party Norbert Schmelzer proposed a Motion of no confidence against the Cabinet Cals and Prime Minister Jo Cals who was a member of his own party. The Dutch political landscape was fractured and Zijlstra was asked to form a caretaker cabinet which had the main task of to write out a early Dutch general election in 1967. Zijlstra became Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs on November 22, 1966 and resigned as a Member of the Senate. Zijlstra dual served as Minister of Finance leading the Cabinet Zijlstra until April 5, 1967 when the Cabinet De Jong was installed.

After his premiership, Zijlstra retired from active politics at the age of forty-eight and became the President of the Central Bank of the Netherlands, serving from May 1, 1967 until January 1, 1982. On September 16, 1966 he was already named as President of the Central Bank of the Netherlands but his unexpected premiership delayed this. Zijlstra also occupied numerous seats on supervisory boards in the business and industry world. Zijlstra was widely respected for his expertise and integrity, and was a godparent of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange. On April 30, 1983 he was granted the honorary title of Minister of State, which he held until his death.

Biography

Early life

Jelle Zijlstra was born on August 27, 1918 in Oosterbierum in the Netherlands Province of Friesland in a Reformed family, the son of Ane Jelle Zijlstra (born November 14, 1879) and Pietje Postuma (born March 6, 1897), both his parents were also born in Oosterbierum. After completing his secondary education he studied at the Netherlands School of Economics the predecessor of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. His studies were interrupted twice: first by his period of military service and later when he had to go into hiding in 1942 after refusing to sign the loyalty oath required of students by the Nazi occupation authorities. Even so, he completed his economics degree in October 1945 as a Master of Economics.

Immediately after graduating, Zijlstra became a research assistant at the Netherlands School of Economics and was promoted a year later to senior research assistant and in 1947 to lecturer. In 1948 he was awarded a doctorate as a Doctor of Philosophy with cum laude for his thesis on the rate of circulation of money and its bearing on the value of money and monetary equilibrium. In the same year he was appointed professor of economics at the Vrije Universiteit.

Politics

Jelle Zijlstra as Minister of Finance in 1961 with his wife Hetty Bloksma during Prinsjesdag.

Jelle Zijlstra at the first meeting of his cabinet in 1966.

He was already a member of the Anti Revolutionary Party]. Representing this party he became between September 2, 1952 and July 24, 1963, successively Minister of Economic Affairs in the Cabinets Drees III, Drees IV and Beel II. And Minister of Finance in the Cabinets Beel II and de Quay.

Following his ministerial career, Zijlstra returned to the Vrije Universiteit as professor of public finance, though he also served between 1963 and 1966 as a member of the Senate. After the fall of the Cabinet Cals, Zijlstra headed an interim government as Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of Finance between November 22, 1966 until April 5, 1967.

From 1967 until the end of 1981 he was President of the Central Bank of the Netherlands and in the course of that period also President of the Bank for International Settlements in Basel. He has sat on many boards in the public and private sectors.

Personal

On March 11, 1946 Zijlstra married his childhood sweetheart Hetty Bloksma (born 1921). They had three daughters and two sons, who were born between 1947 and 1961. Jelle Zijlstra died in Wassenaar on December 23, 2001 at the age of eighty-three, the last months of life were dominated by his deteriorating health, and he suffered from increasing memory loss. Zijlstra was buried at the cemetery of the local Reformed Church in Wassenaar. It is not known whether his widow is still alive as of 2024. His younger brother Rinse Zijlstra (born April 19, 1927) was also a Member of the House of Representatives, serving from February 23, 1967 until May 10, 1971 and a Member of the Senate serving from April 12, 1983 until June 13, 1995 for the Anti Revolutionary Party and the Christian Democratic Appeal.

Decorations

• Order of the Netherlands Lion
  • Commander (July 27, 1963)
  • Grand Cross (November 18, 1981)
• Order of Orange-Nassau
  • Grand Cross (April 27, 1967)
• Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
  • Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash (1958)

External links

• Template:Nl Dr. J. (Jelle) Zijlstra (Parlement & Politiek)
• Template:Nl Dr. J. Zijlstra (ARP) (Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal)
• Template:Nl Kabinet-Zijlstra (Rijksoverheid)