Willem Drees

**Willem Drees** (; July 5, 1886 – May 14, 1988) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and its predecessor the SDAP. He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 7, 1948 until December 22, 1958.

Before entering national politics Drees was a member of the municipal council and also an alderman of The Hague. During this time he was also a member of the Provincial States of South Holland.

Drees was an active performer of Esperanto.

## Other websites

- Biography at Parlement.com

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Willem Drees
- **image**: Willem Drees sr (1981).jpg
- **imagesize**: 250px
- **office**: Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- **term start**: August 7, 1948
- **term end**: December 22, 1958
- **monarch**: Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Wilhelmina
Juliana of the Netherlands, Juliana
- **predecessor**: Louis Beel
- **successor**: Louis Beel
- **office1**: House of Representatives of the Netherlands, Member of the House of Representatives
- **term start1**: July 3, 1956
- **term end1**: October 3, 1956
- **office2**: House of Representatives of the Netherlands, Member of the House of Representatives
- **term start2**: July 15, 1952
- **term end2**: September 2, 1952
- **office3**: Ministry of Finance (Netherlands), Minister of Finance
- **term start3**: July 1, 1952
- **term end3**: September 2, 1952
- **primeminister3**: Willem Drees
- **predecessor3**: Piet Lieftinck
- **successor3**: Johan van de Kieft
- **office4**: Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Netherlands), Minister of Colonial Affairs
- **term start4**: March 15, 1951
- **term end4**: March 31, 1951
- **primeminister4**: Willem Drees
- **predecessor4**: Johannes Henricus van Maarseveen
- **successor4**: Leonard Antoon Hubert Peters
- **office5**: House of Representatives of the Netherlands, Member of the House of Representatives
- **term start5**: July 27, 1948
- **term end5**: August 10, 1948
- **office6**: Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands), Minister of Social Affairs
- **term start6**: June 24, 1945
- **term end6**: August 7, 1948
- **primeminister6**: Wim Schermerhorn
 Louis Beel
- **predecessor6**: Dolf Joekes
- **successor6**: Frans Wijffels
- **office7**: Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Deputy Prime Minister
- **term start7**: June 24, 1945
- **term end7**: August 7, 1948
- **primeminister7**: Wim Schermerhorn
 Louis Beel
- **successor7**: Josef van Schaik
- **office8**: House of Representatives of the Netherlands, Member of the House of Representatives
- **term start8**: June 4, 1946
- **term end8**: July 4, 1946
- **office9**: Parliamentary group leader, Parliamentary leader - Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Workers' Party
 House of Representatives of the Netherlands, House of Representatives
- **term start9**: August 19, 1939
- **term end9**: June 24, 1945
- **predecessor9**: Willem Albarda
- **successor9**: **Party Disbanded**
- **office11**: House of Representatives of the Netherlands, Member of the House of Representatives
- **term start11**: May 9, 1933
- **term end11**: June 24, 1945
- **birth place**: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- **death place**: The Hague, Netherlands
- **birthname**: Willem Drees
- **nationality**: Netherlands, Dutch
- **party**: Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Workers' Party
 Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party
- **spouse**: Catharina Hent
- **alma mater**: Erasmus University Rotterdam
 University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland
- **occupation**: Politician
 Civil service, Civil servant
 Author
 Accountant
 Shorthand, Stenographer
- **nickname**: _Little Father Drees_