# Jan van Aartsen

Johannes "Jan" van Aartsen (Dutch pronunciation:; 15 September 1909 – 3 February 1992) was a Dutch jurist and politician of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP).
Van Aartsen applied at the Free University Amsterdam in June 1931 majoring in law and obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree before graduating with a Master of Laws degree in July 1936. Van Aartsen worked as a lawyer in The Hague from August 1936 until October 1944. On 10 May 1940 Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands and the government fled to London to escape the German occupation. During World War II, Van Aartsen continued to work as a lawyer. He worked as a trade association executive for the Christian Employers' association (NCW) from October 1944 until September 1949 and served as General-Secretary from July 1947 until September 1949. Van Aartsen also served on the Municipal Council of The Hague from May 1948 until November 1958 and served as an Alderman in The Hague from September 1949 until November 1958. Van Aartsen was appointed as Minister of Transport and Water Management in the Drees III cabinet following the resignation of Jacob Algera, taking office on 1 November 1958. The Drees III cabinet fell on 11 December 1958 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Beel II cabinet with Van Aartsen continuing as Minister of Transport and Water Management, taking office on 22 December 1958. Van Aartsen was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1959 general election, taking office on 20 March 1959. Following the cabinet formation of 1959, Van Aartsen was appointed as Minister of Housing and Construction in the De Quay cabinet, taking office on 19 May 1959. In December 1962 Van Aartsen announced that he would not stand for the 1963 general election. Following the cabinet formation of 1963, Van Aartsen was again appointed as Minister of Transport and Water Management in the Marijnen cabinet, taking office on 24 July 1963. The Marijnen cabinet fell on 27 February 1965 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1965, Van Aartsen was not giving a cabinet post in the new Cals cabinet, which took office on 14 April 1965.
Van Aartsen remained in active politics, in May 1965 Van Aartsen was nominated as Queen's Commissioner of Zeeland, serving from 1 June 1965 until 1 October 1974.

## Career

Van Aartsen was a lawyer in The Hague and a member of the Anti-Revolutionary Party. He became minister of Transportation and Water Management of the Netherlands in November 1958, at the end of the fourth Drees cabinet. From 1959 to 1963, he served as minister of Housing and the Construction Industry in the De Quay cabinet. Under De Quay's successor Victor Marijnen, Van Aartsen returned to the post of Transportation and Water Management. In 1965, Van Aartsen was appointed Queen's Commissioner of the province of Zeeland, where he would remain until 1974.

## Personal life

Van Aartsen was the father of Jozias van Aartsen, who became foreign minister of the Netherlands in 1998. He died at age 82 in 1992 and is buried at Zorgvlied cemetery.

## Decorations

Honours :
| Honour | Country | Date |
| Commander of the Order of Leopold II | Belgium | 12 July 1962 |
| Officer of the Legion of Honour | France | 14 August 1964 |
| Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 20 April 1965 |
| Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | Netherlands | 1 October 1974 |