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Tjerk Westerterp | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tjerk Westerterp in 1974 | |
| Minister of Transport and Water Management | |
| In office 11 May 1973 – 19 December 1977 | |
| Prime Minister | Joop den Uyl |
| Preceded by | Bé Udink |
| Succeeded by | Dany Tuijnman |
| State Secretary of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 17 August 1971 – 7 March 1973 | |
| Prime Minister | Barend Biesheuvel |
| Preceded by | Hans de Koster |
| Succeeded by | Laurens Jan Brinkhorst Pieter Kooijmans |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 8 May 1967 – 17 August 1971 | |
| Parliamentary group | Christian Democratic Group |
| Constituency | Netherlands |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 22 December 1977 – 15 February 1978 | |
| In office 8 June 1977 – 8 September 1977 | |
| In office 7 December 1972 – 11 May 1973 | |
| In office 31 July 1963 – 17 August 1971 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Theodorus Engelbertus Westerterp (1930-12-02)2 December 1930 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | 7 October 2023(2023-10-07) (aged 92) Ulvenhout, Netherlands |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Appeal (from 2002) |
| Other political affiliations | Livable Netherlands (2001–2002) Christian Democratic Appeal (1980–2001) Catholic People's Party (until 1980) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Four |
| Residence(s) | Ulvenhout, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | Radboud University Nijmegen (Bachelor of Social Science,Master of Arts) |
| Occupation | Politician · Diplomat ·Civil servant · Journalist ·Editor · Author · Businessman ·Corporate director ·Nonprofit director ·Political consultant ·Lobbyist |
Theodorus Engelbertus "Tjerk" Westerterp (2 December 1930 – 7 October 2023) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunctCatholic People's Party (KVP) now merged into theChristian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and businessman.[1]
Westerterp attended agymnasium inRotterdam from April 1943 until May 1949 and applied at theRadboud University Nijmegen in June 1949 majoring inPolitical science, obtaining aBachelor of Social Science degree in 1951 before switching toJournalism and graduating with aMaster of Arts degree in Journalism in July 1953. Westerterp worked as a journalist and editor for theDe Maasbode from June 1949 until July 1953, and as a civil servant for theEuropean Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) inLuxembourg City from July 1953 until July 1963.
Westerterp became a member of theHouse of Representatives afterGerard Veldkamp was appointedMinister of Social Affairsand Health in theMarijnen cabinet after the1963 general election, taking office on 31 July 1963, serving as afrontbencher and chairing thespecial parliamentary committee for Academic degrees andspokesperson for European affairs,Benelux, transport, aviation and deputy spokesperson for foreign affairs andNATO. Westerterp was selected as aMember of the European Parliament anddual served in those positions, taking office on 8 May 1967. He also served asVice-President of the European Parliament from 9 March 1971 until 17 August 1971. After the1971 general election, Westerterp was appointedState Secretary of Foreign Affairs in theBiesheuvel I cabinet, taking office on 17 August 1971. The cabinet fell just one year later on 19 July 1972 and continued to serve in ademissionary capacity until thefirst cabinet formation of 1972 when it was replaced by thecaretakerBiesheuvel II cabinet, with Westerterp continuing as State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, taking office on 9 August 1972. After the1972 general election, Westerterp returned to the House of Representatives, taking office on 7 December 1972 but he was still serving in the cabinet and because ofdualism customs in theconstitutional convention of Dutch politics he could not serve adual mandate he subsequently resigned as State Secretary of Foreign Affairs on 7 March 1973.
Following thesecond cabinet formation of 1972 Westerterp was appointedMinister of Transport and Water Management in theDen Uyl cabinet, taking office on 11 May 1973. He took many measures that had a lasting positive impact on traffic safety in the Netherlands, like making seat belts and the moped helmet mandatory. He was also responsible for the decision to build theEastern Scheldt storm surge barrier. The cabinet fell on 22 March 1977 after four years of tensions in the coalition and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity.
After theelection of 1977 Westerterp again returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 8 June 1977 but because of the dualism customs he resigned his seat in the House of Representatives on 8 September 1977. Following thecabinet formation of 1977, the Den Uyl cabinet was replaced by theVan Agt–Wiegel cabinet on 19 December 1977, and Westerterp was not given a cabinet post in the new cabinet and he subsequently returned to the House of Representatives following the appointment ofTil Gardeniers-Berendsen asMinister of Culture, Recreation and Social Work in the new cabinet, taking office on 22 December 1977 serving as abackbencher.
In January 1978, Westerterp was nominated asChief executive officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board of directors of theAmsterdam Stock Exchange, he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the same day he was installed as CEO and Chairman on 15 February 1978. As CEO of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange he came up with the idea of theAEX index.
Westerterp also became active in theprivate sector andpublic sector and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (DSB Bank,Radio Netherlands Worldwide,DSM Company,Van Lanschot,Atlantic Association,Randstad NV and theInstitute of International Relations Clingendael) and served on severalstate commissions and councils on behalf of the government (Public Pension Funds APB,Cadastre Agency and theAdvisory Council for Foreign Affairs) and as an advocate and lobbyist forHighway engineering improvements andEuropean integration and as a political consultant for theLivable Netherlands (LN) party.
Westerterp was known for his abilities as a manager and a "policy wonk". Westerterp continued to comment on political affairs.
Westerterp died on 8 October 2023, at the age of 92.[2]
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Officer of theOrder of Leopold II | Belgium | 7 April 1972 | |
 | Knight of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre | Holy See | 22 July 1974 | |
 | Officer of theOrder of the Oak Crown | Luxembourg | 30 September 1975 | |
 | Commander of theOrder of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 11 April 1978 |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | State Secretary of Foreign Affairs 1971–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Transport and Water Management 1973–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Business positions | ||
| Unknown | CEO and Chairman of the Board of directors of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange 1978–1993 | Unknown |
 | ||
| Labour Party | |
|---|---|
| Catholic People's Party | |
| Anti-Revolutionary Party | |
| People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | |
| Christian Historical Union | |
| Democrats 66 | |
| Political Party of Radicals | |
| Communist Party of the Netherlands | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
