Klaas de Vries | |
|---|---|
 De Vries in 2008 | |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 12 June 2007 – 9 June 2015 | |
| Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations | |
| In office 24 March 2000 – 22 July 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Wim Kok |
| Preceded by | Roger van Boxtel (ad interim) |
| Succeeded by | Johan Remkes |
| Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries | |
| In office 7 June 1999 – 9 June 1999 ad interim | |
| Prime Minister | Wim Kok |
| Preceded by | Haijo Apotheker |
| Succeeded by | Laurens Jan Brinkhorst |
| Minister of Social Affairs and Employment | |
| In office 3 August 1998 – 24 March 2000 | |
| Prime Minister | Wim Kok |
| Preceded by | Ad Melkert |
| Succeeded by | Willem Vermeend |
| Chairman of the Social and Economic Council | |
| In office 1 January 1996 – 3 August 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Theo Quené |
| Succeeded by | Herman Wijffels |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 23 May 2002 – 30 November 2006 | |
| In office 28 May 1973 – 1 September 1988 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Klaas George de Vries (1943-04-28)28 April 1943 (age 82) Hoensbroek, Netherlands |
| Political party | Labour Party (from 1968) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 sons |
| Residence(s) | Pijnacker, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Hamline University (Bachelor of Arts) Utrecht University (Bachelor of Laws,Master of Laws) |
| Occupation | Politician ·Civil servant ·Jurist ·Researcher ·Nonprofit director ·Sport administrator ·Lobbyist ·Activist ·Author ·Professor |
| Website | Klaasdevries.nl(in Dutch) |
Klaas George de Vries (born 28 April 1943) is a retired Dutch politician of theLabour Party (PvdA) and jurist.[1]
De Vries attended agymnasium inHeerlen from June 1955 until July 1961 and applied at theHamline University inSaint Paul, Minnesota in July 1961majoring inPublic Administration and obtaining a Bachelor of Public Administration degree in August 1962 before transferring to theUtrecht University in September 1962majoring inLaw and obtaining aBachelor of Laws degree in June 1964 and graduating with aMaster of Laws degree in July 1968. De Vries worked as a civil servant for the department for Administrative Affairs of theMinistry of Justice from August 1968 until April 1971 and as a researcher at theErasmus University Rotterdam from April 1971 until May 1973. De Vries served on theMunicipal Council ofDelft from March 1970 until April 1974.
De Vries became a member of theHouse of Representatives afterBram Stemerdink was appointed asState Secretary for Defence in theDen Uyl cabinet after the1972 general election, taking office on taking office on 28 May 1973 serving as afrontbencher andspokesperson for defence and chairing theparliamentary inquiry commission on construction grants. In August 1988 De Vries was nominated as Executive-Director of theAssociation of Municipalities, he resigned as a member of the House of Representatives the same day he was installed as Executive-Director on 1 September 1988. In December 1995 De Vries was nominated as chairman of theSocial and Economic Council, he resigned as Executive-Director the same day he was installed as Chairman, taking office on 1 January 1996. After the1998 general election De Vries was appointed asMinister of Social Affairs and Employment in theKok II cabinet, taking office on 3 August 1998. De Vries served as actingMinister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries from 7 June 1999 until 9 June 1999 following the resignation ofHaijo Apotheker. De Vries was appointed asMinister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations following the resignation ofBram Peper, taking office on 24 March 2000. After the2002 general election De Vries returned to the House of Representatives, taking office on 23 May 2002. The Kok II cabinet was replaced by theBalkenende I cabinet following thecabinet formation of 2002 on 22 July 2002 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson forintegration. After theLeader of the Labour Party andparliamentary leader in the House of RepresentativesAd Melkert announced that he was stepping down following the defeat in the election, De Vries announced his candidacy to succeed him. De Vries lost the leadership election to formerState Secretary for FinanceWouter Bos on 12 November 2002. In July 2006 De Vries announced that he would not stand for the2006 general election and continued to serve until the end of the parliamentary term on 30 November 2006.[2]
De Vries remained in active in national politics, he was elected to theSenate after the2007 Senate election, taking office on 12 June 2007 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for foreign affairs and chairing severalparliamentary committees. De Vries also became active in thepublic sector and occupied numerous seats as a nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (Humanist Association,Parliamentary Documentation Center,Transnational Institute,International Fellowship of Reconciliation,Atlantic Association,Institute for Multiparty Democracy,ProDemos and theInternational Institute of Social History) and served on severalstate commissions and councils on behalf of the government (Council for Public Administration,Cadastre Agency,Advisory Council for Spatial Planning andPublic Pension Funds APB) and as an advocate, lobbyist and activist for theAnti-war movement,Humanitarianism andDemocracy. De Vries also worked as a sport administrator for theOlympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation (NOC*NSF) and also served as a distinguished professor of Governmental Studies,Public administration andPolitical history at theRadboud University Nijmegen from 1 June 2009 until 10 October 2012. In November 2014 De Vries announced his retirement from national politics and that he would not stand for the2015 Senate election and continued to serve until the end of the parliamentary term on 9 June 2015.
De Vries is known for his abilities as a debater and manager. De Vries continues to comment on political affairs as of 2025.[3]
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Knight of theOrder of the Netherlands Lion | Netherlands | 30 April 1986 | |
 | Grand Officer of theOrder of Leopold II | Belgium | 12 May 1999 | |
 | Knight Commander of theOrder of Merit | Germany | 1 February 2001 | |
 | Grand Officer of theOrder of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 9 June 2015 | Elevated from Officer (10 December 2002) |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Social Affairs and Employment 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries Ad interim 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Roger van Boxtel Ad interim | Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations 2000–2002 | Succeeded by |
| Civic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Social and Economic Council 1996–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| Unknown | Executive Director of the Association of Municipalities 1988–1996 | Unknown |
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
