Diekema proved to be extremely popular with the Dutch people and served successfully in this capacity until his untimely death at The Hague on December 20, 1930. The funeral sermon was delivered by Reverend John M. Vander Meulen and Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg also paid tribute at the service. A memorial plaque honoring Diekema was placed in Dimnent Memorial Chapel and dedicated during Holland's 125th anniversary celebration in 1972. 3.00 linear ft. Abstract Personal papers of Gerrit John Diekema, Mayor of Holland, member of the Hope College Council, state representative, United States Congressman, Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee, and United States Minister to the Netherlands.
Collection includes correspondence, scrapbooks and father's diary.
The Gerrit J. Diekema papers consist of materials from 1868 to 1989. The folders have been arranged alphabetically by topical headings and the material within the folders has been arranged chronologically. Due to their format and size, the Telugu Bible and four volumes of scrapbooks have been placed at the end of the collection. The strength of this collection is its documentation of Diekema's political activities through the scrapbooks and correspondence. The researcher is advised to be thorough when using the scrapbooks since they have been compiled in a very rough chronological order.