Dutch socialist politician, opposition leader, economist, minister of social and economic affairs and premier.
He was born in a Protestant reformed family. His father Johannes den Uyl (8 Oct 1884-7 Dec 1929) was a basket-maker and held a basket shop in Hilversum. His mother Agatha van Leeuwen (b 8 or 18 Sept 1881, Jutfaas – 10 June 1970 , Hilversum) became widow in 1929, 9 years after her marriage on 27 Oct 1910 at Jutphaas. Den Uyl was ten years old then.
Den Uyl studied between 1931 and 1936 on the Christian Lyceum at Hilversum. From September 1936 till February 1942 he studied economics at the University of Amsterdam. After becoming an economist (1942), he worked as a civil servant from 1 April 1943 to 1945 at the Ministry of Economic affairs.
He first was a member of the Protestant Christian Anti Revolutionary Party (ARP), but he became agnostic around January 1943 after a Jewish female friend of him was transported to the East. After the war he became a journalist of the newspaper “Het Parool” (June-Nov 1945 ) and the weekly periodical “Vrij Nederland”” (1 November 1945 till December 1948), both periodicals that started as illegal magazines during the WW2. From 15 January 1949 till 1 January 1963 he was director of the Wiardi Beckman Foundation, the scientific and ideological institute of the Dutch Labour Party “Partij van de Arbeid” (PvdA). He wrote “De weg naar vrijheid” (the road to freedom) in 1951 and edited the brochure “Om de kwaliteit van het bestaan” (About the quality of existence) in 1963.
Political career.
From 1 September 1953 till 14 April 1965 he was a member of the municipal council of Amsterdam.
From 6 November 1956 till 5 June 1963 he was member of the House of Representatives.
From van 8 November 1962 till 14 April 1965 he was municipal administrator (wethouder) for economic affairs in Amsterdam.
From 14 April 1965 till 22 November 1966 he was minister of economic affairs in the Cals administration. He decided in December 1965 to close the state coal mines of Limburg, causing high local unemployment.
From van 15 February 1967 to 11 May 1973 he was the political leader of the PvdA in the Dutch parliament.
From 23 February 1967 till 11 May 1973 he was Opposition Leader in the House of Representatives, but after he won the 1973 elections he formed the Kabinet-Den Uyl (11 May 1973 to 19 December 1977 ) with the Christian-democratic Catholic People’s Party and Anti Revolutionary Party. He had to deal with the 1973 oil crisis and Arabic oil boycott, the Yom Kippur War and the Lockheed bribery scandal of 1976, that almost ended the Dutch monarchy as the spouse of Queen Juliana Prince Bernhard was involved in it.
In March 1973 his administration fell because of conflicts with the Catholic Christian Democrat and Minister of Justice Dries van Agt. He became opposition leader again from 8 June 1977 till 8 September 1977 and from 16 january 1978 till 11 September 1981.
From 11 September 1981 till 29 May 1982 he was Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and Minister concerned with the Netherlands Antilles, and deputy prime minister in the “fighting” administration Van Agt II.
From 7 September 1982 till 21 July 1986 he was again opposition leader till Wim Kok followed him up. He stayed a member of parliament till his death on 24 December 1987.
Personal
On 30 August 1944 he married Elisabeth (Liesbeth) Jacoba van Vessem (18 June 1924, Amsterdam – 3 Sept 1990) in Amsterdam. Liesbeth studied psychology till the universities closed during war time. Between 1946 and 1965 they got four daughters and three sons. Liesbeth became a political activist when her children were old enough.
On 8 January 1985 Den Uyl got a honorary doctorate in Economics at the University of Amsterdam.
Den Uyl died on 24 December 1987 13h15, Amsterdam as a result of a brain tumour.
Link to Wikipedia biography