# W. Hugenholtz

Willem "Wim" Hugenholtz (11 May 1902 – 8 April 1969) was a Dutch lawyer and animal welfare activist. He played a key role in advancing animal protection laws in the Netherlands and internationally. He was the founder and served as president of the World Federation for the Protection of Animals, founded in 1950.

## Biography
### Early life

Willem Hugenholtz was born in Axel, Netherlands, on 11 May 1902. His father, Johannes Hugenholtz [nl] (1859–1922), was a minister, and his mother was Hermina Geesink. He was the youngest brother of Gerhard W. K. Hugenholtz (1889–1969). From the age of 14, he wrote articles on animal protection for various magazines, including the Haagse Post.

### Legal career

In 1928, Hugenholtz established himself as a lawyer and attorney in Leiden.

### Animal welfare activism

In 1950, Hugenholtz initiated the first world congress for animal protection, held in Scheveningen. The congress was attended by Queen Juliana, numerous ambassadors, and 250 representatives from 40 countries. During this event, he founded the World Federation for the Protection of Animals, serving as its president for eight years. Under his leadership, the federation expanded to include thousands of animal protection organizations worldwide. It later merged with the International Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to become World Animal Protection.
In 1952, as president of the World Federation, he drafted a proposal for a "World Animal Protection Act", which was sent to governments globally, leading to extensive correspondence with policymakers. He resigned as president at the second international congress in Zurich in 1958 but was appointed honorary president.
In October 1951, he proposed a draft for a modern national animal protection law, which was informally submitted to Minister of Justice Hendrik Mulderije. The interdepartmental committee and the government draft law adopted approximately seventy percent of his proposals. During parliamentary discussions, several members of the Dutch House of Representatives and Senate acknowledged his contributions. In 1961, Minister of Justice Albert Beerman formally recognized his efforts.
Hugenholtz was also a long-time board member of the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals, serving as its chairman from 1954. He was also a patron of the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and an honorary member of various foreign national animal protection organizations.

### Other activities

Hugenholtz had a deep appreciation for his native province, Zeeland. He founded the Vereniging van Vrienden van Veere ("Association of Friends of Veere"), a historical society dedicated to the study of Zeeland and the town of Veere. Veere honored him by appointing him city lawyer.

### Honors and recognition

Hugenholtz was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion on 18 October 1961 and was also an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau.

### Personal life and death

On 14 June 1934, he married Anny Geertruida Margaretha van Velzen Camphuis, but the marriage ended in divorce a year later. He married Maria Catharina de Kruiff (1931–2018) on 27 December 1960.
Hugenholtz died on 8 April 1969 in Leiden from a cerebral infarction. His funeral was held at the Groene Kerkje in Oegstgeest on 12 April and he was buried at the cemetery there.

## Selected publications

Hugenholtz published several works in the field of law, including:
* Hoofdlijnen van het Nederlands Burgerlijk Procesrecht ("Main Lines of Dutch Civil Procedural Law")
* Over Reconventie ("On Counterclaim")
* Over Reële Executie ("About Real Execution")
* Naar Nieuw Burgerlijk Procesrecht? ("Towards New Civil Procedure Law?")
* De wet op de dierenbescherming ("The Animal Protection Act"; Leiden, 1961)