Piet Hein Donner | |
|---|---|
 Donner in 2010 | |
| Vice-President of the Council of State | |
| In office 1 February 2012 – 1 November 2018 | |
| Monarchs | Beatrix Willem-Alexander |
| Preceded by | Herman Tjeenk Willink |
| Succeeded by | Thom de Graaf |
| Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations | |
| In office 14 October 2010 – 16 December 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Rutte |
| Preceded by | Ernst Hirsch Ballin |
| Succeeded by | Liesbeth Spies |
| Minister of Social Affairs and Employment | |
| In office 22 February 2007 – 14 October 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Jan Peter Balkenende |
| Preceded by | Aart Jan de Geus |
| Succeeded by | Henk Kamp |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 30 November 2006 – 22 February 2007 | |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 22 July 2002 – 21 September 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Jan Peter Balkenende |
| Preceded by | Benk Korthals |
| Succeeded by | Rita Verdonk(Ad interim) |
| Member of the Council of State | |
| In office 22 December 1997 – 22 July 2002 | |
| Vice President | Herman Tjeenk Willink |
| Director of the Scientific Council for Government Policy | |
| In office 1 January 1993 – 22 December 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Frans Rutten |
| Succeeded by | Michiel Scheltema |
| Member of the Scientific Council for Government Policy | |
| In office 1 January 1990 – 1 January 1993 | |
| Director | Frans Rutten |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jan Pieter Hendrik Donner (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (age 77) |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980) |
| Other political affiliations | Anti-Revolutionary Party (until 1980) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 sons |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Jan Hein Donner (uncle) Jan Donner (grandfather) |
| Residence(s) | The Hague,Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Free University Amsterdam (Bachelor of Laws,Master of Laws) University of Michigan (Juris Doctor) |
| Occupation | Politician ·Civil servant ·Jurist ·Researcher ·Nonprofit director ·Professor |
Jan Pieter Hendrik "Piet Hein" Donner (born 20 October 1948) is a retiredDutch politician of theChristian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party andjurist. He was granted the honorary title ofMinister of State on 21 December 2018.[1]
The Donner family has produced a number ofCalvinistjudges. Piet Hein Donner's father,André Donner, was a judge at theEuropean Court of Justice between 1958 and 1979, and was part of the government commission that looked intoPrince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld's dealings with theLockheed Corporation. His grandfather wasJan Donner, who served as Minister of Justice for theAnti-Revolutionary Party in thefirst De Geer cabinet and was later president of the DutchSupreme Court. His uncleJan Hein Donner was achess grandmaster and author.
Donner attended agymnasium inAmsterdam from March 1961 until May 1967 and applied at theVrije Universiteit Amsterdam in June 1967, majoring inLaw and obtaining aBachelor of Laws degree in April 1969 before graduating with aMaster of Laws degree in July 1973. During his study, he joined the student society L.A.N.X. in 1968. Donner applied at theUniversity of Michigan inAnn Arbor, Michigan in September 1973 for apostgraduate education in Law, working as a student researcher before obtaining anJuris Doctor degree in July 1976. Donner worked as a civil servant from July 1976 until December 1997, for the department of Legal Affairs of theMinistry of Economic Affairs from August 1976 until March 1981, as aparalegal for the office of Juridical Support of theHouse of Representatives from March 1981 until November 1984, and for the department of Public Law of theMinistry of Justice from November 1984 until January 1990. In December 1989 Donner was appointed as a member of theScientific Council for Government Policy (WRR), taking office on 1 January 1990. In December 1992 Donner was nominated as director of the WRR, taking office on 1 January 1993. In December 1997 Donner was nominated as a member of theCouncil of State. He was installed as a Member of the Council of State, taking office on 22 December 1997, resigning as director of the WRR on the same day.
After the2002 general election, Donner was appointedinformateur for thecabinet formation. Following the cabinet formation, Donner was appointed asMinister of Justice in thefirst Balkenende cabinet, taking office on 22 July 2002. The cabinet resigned just four months later on 16 October, and continued to serve in ademissionary capacity. After the succeeding2003 general election, Donner retained his ministerial post in thesecond Balkenende cabinet, which took office on 27 May 2003.
In 2006, Donner recorded a rap song together with Meester G to explain his point of view on theDutch soft-drug policy in response to a song by Gerd Leers,Mayor ofMaastricht with punk bandHeideroosjes, which called for a more progressive policy which would not only regulate the selling of soft drugs, but also legalise their production.[2]
The second Balkenende cabinet fell on 30 June 2006 after the Democrats 66 had lost confidence inMinister for Integration and Asylum AffairsRita Verdonk, and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until 7 July, when it was replaced by thecaretakerthird Balkenende cabinet, with Donner remaining Minister of Justice.
On 13 September 2006, Donner was the subject of controversy when he suggested Islamic law could be established in the Netherlands by democratic means. He responded by a clarification that he was not advocating such a scenario but warning against it.[3] In the same month, aDutch Safety Board report into afire at Schiphol Airport jail was released, condemning Dutch government officials.[4] Donner andMinister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the EnvironmentSybilla Dekker, as politically responsible cabinet members, resigned following the report's conclusions. Donner was succeeded byErnst Hirsch Ballin, who had been justice minister in thethird Lubbers cabinet.[5]
Donner was elected to theHouse of Representatives in the2006 general election, taking office on 30 November 2006. Following thesucceeding cabinet formation, Donner was appointedMinister of Social Affairs and Employment in thefourth Balkenende cabinet, taking office on 22 February 2007. This cabinet resigned on 20 February 2010 after tensions in the coalition over the extension of Dutch involvement in theTask Force Uruzgan mission of theInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) inAfghanistan, and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. In March 2010, Donner announced that he would not stand in theelection of that year. Following the2010 cabinet formation, Donner was appointed asMinister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in thefirst Rutte cabinet, taking office on 14 October 2010.
In December 2011 Donner was nominated asVice-President of the Council of State. He resigned as Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations on 16 December 2011 and was installed as Vice-President of the Council of State on 1 February 2012, serving until 1 November 2018. Donner also served as a distinguished professor ofMinority rights atLeiden University, holding the Cleveringa Chair, from 1 September 2015 until 1 September 2016.[6][7][8][9]
Since his retirement, Donner has occupied numerous seats as nonprofit director for supervisory boards in the business and industry world and several international non-governmental organisations and research institutes, including theNetherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, theRijksmuseum van Oudheden, theNetherlands Atlantic Association, theRoyal Netherlands Historical Society and theCarnegie Foundation. He also served on several state commissions on behalf of the government.
| Honours | ||||
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Grand Officer of theOrder of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 1 November 2018 | |
| Honorific Titles | ||||
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
 | Minister of State | Netherlands | 21 December 2018 | Style ofExcellency |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 2002–2006 | Succeeded by Rita Verdonk Ad interim |
| Preceded by | Minister of Social Affairs and Employment 2007–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations 2010–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice-President of the Council of State 2012–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Civic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Director of the Scientific Council for Government Policy 1993–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Distinguished Professor Cleveringa Chair of Leiden University 2015–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Carnegie Foundation 2019–present | Incumbent |
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