Dirk Jan de Geer

• Honorific Prefix — Jonkheer • Name — Dirk Jan de Geer • Office — Chairman of the Council of Ministers • Term Start — 10 August 1939 • Term End — 3 September 1940 • Monarch — Wilhelmina • Predecessor — Hendrikus Colijn • Successor — Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy • Term Start1 — 8 March 1926 • Term End1 — 10 August 1929 • Monarch1 — Wilhelmina • Predecessor1 — Hendrikus Colijn • Successor1 — Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck • Office2 — Chairman of the Christian Historical Union • Term Start2 — 30 June 1933 • Term End2 — 10 August 1939 • Predecessor2 — Jan Rudolph Slotemaker de Bruïne • Successor2 — Hendrik Tilanus • Office3 — Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives • Term Start3 — 28 April 1933 • Term End3 — 10 August 1939 • Predecessor3 — Reinhardt Snoeck Henkemans • Successor3 — Hendrik Tilanus • Parliamentary Group3 — Christian Historical Union • Office4 — Leader of the Christian Historical Union • Term Start4 — 8 July 1929 • Term End4 — 14 May 1940 • Predecessor4 — Johan de Visser • Successor4 — Hendrik Tilanus • Office5 — Minister of the Interior and Agriculture • Term Start5 — 4 August 1925 • Term End5 — 8 March 1926 • Prime Minister5 — Hendrikus Colijn • Predecessor5 — Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck • Successor5 — Jan Kan • Office6 — Minister of Finance • Term Start6 — 10 August 1939 • Term End6 — 3 September 1940 • Prime Minister6 — Dirk Jan de Geer • Predecessor6 — Christiaan Bodenhausen • Successor6 — Charles Welter • Term Start7 — 8 March 1926 • Term End7 — 26 May 1933 • Prime Minister7 — Dirk Jan de Geer (1926–1929) Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1929–1933) • Predecessor7 — Hendrikus Colijn • Successor7 — Pieter Oud • Term Start8 — 28 July 1921 • Term End8 — 11 August 1923 • Prime Minister8 — Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck • Predecessor8 — Simon de Vries • Successor8 — Hendrikus Colijn • Office9 — Mayor of Arnhem • Term Start9 — 8 May 1920 • Term End9 — 28 July 1921 • Predecessor9 — Aarnoud van Heemstra • Successor9 — Salomon de Monchy • Office10 — Member of the House of Representatives • Term Start10 — 9 May 1933 • Term End10 — 10 August 1939 • Term Start11 — 25 July 1922 • Term End11 — 18 September 1922 • Term Start12 — 4 November 1907 • Term End12 — 30 August 1921 • Birth Name — Dirk Jan de Geer • Born — 14 December 1870 • Birthplace — Groningen, Netherlands • Died — 28 November 1960 • Place of death — Soest, Netherlands • Party — Christian Historical Union (from 1908) • Other Party — Christian Historical Party (1903–1908) Christian Historical Voters' League (until 1903) • Relations — * Boudewijn de Geer (grandson) • Mike de Geer (great-grandson) • Children — 5 • Alma Mater — Utrecht University (LLB, LLM) • Occupation — * Politician • civil servant • jurist • managing editor • author Jonkheer Dirk Jan de Geer (14 December 1870 – 28 November 1960) was a Dutch politician of the Christian Historical Union. He served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 8 March 1926 until 10 August 1929, and from 10 August 1939 until 3 September 1940.

Born in Groningen, he was a descendant of the De Geer family. After receiving his J.D. from a college of law in 1895, De Geer worked as a journalist and acted as a town councilor of Rotterdam (1901–1907). He served from 1907 as a Christian Historical member of Parliament. Before World War II, he was a stable and respected politician. From 1920 to 1921, he served as mayor of Arnhem. Between 1921 and 1923, De Geer served as Minister of Finance. He resigned in 1923 because of his disagreement with the Naval Law of 1924. From 1925 to 1926 he served as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Agriculture, then became Chairman of the Council of Ministers on 8 March 1926, serving for three years until resigning on 10 August 1929. He also served as Minister of Finance from 1926 to 1933. After the fall of the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn, De Geer again formed a government in August 1939 and concurrently held the offices of Minister of Finance and of General Affairs. However, as he knew, he was not suited for the role of prime minister of a nation at war. When Nazi Germany attacked the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 (beginning of the Western campaign), the situation soon became very serious, and the government fled to Britain. In Britain, De Geer advocated negotiating a separate peace between the Netherlands and Germany, and damaged the Dutch government and Dutch morale by openly stating that the war could never be won. At the instigation of Queen Wilhelmina, he was removed from office and replaced by Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy during the 1940 cabinet formationofficially on account of ill-health. Later, he was sent with a diplomatic commission to the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. He never arrived there, for on a stopover in Portugal he left the flight and went to the Germans, who allowed him to return to his ailing wife and the rest of his family in the Netherlands. That greatly angered Wilhelmina, who called him a traitor and deserter to the Dutch cause. He later wrote a controversial pamphlet with "instructions" for the Dutch people on how to co-operate with the German occupiers. Wilhelmina warned De Geer that if he published the pamphlet, he would be put on trial after the conclusion of the war. "With this pamphlet," the Dutch government-in-exile stated in a broadcast, "the writer has betrayed the Netherlands people, whatever happens to him personally." With the permission of the Reichskommissariat Niederlande, De Geer went through with the publication. After the war, he was found guilty of high treason in time of war and was stripped of all of his honorary titles. The Appeal Court confirmed the sentence of a year's imprisonment with three years' probation, but waived the fine of 20,000 guilders and the deprivation of the title "Minister of State".

On 11 August 1904, De Geer married Maria Voorhoeve (1 May 1883 – 6 April 1955). De Geer died on 28 November 1960 at Soest, at the age of 89, sixteen days before his 90th birthday, several years after having suffered a stroke. His grandson is ex-footballer Boudewijn de Geer, and his great-grandson is football manager and former player Mike de Geer.

Honours • Ribbon bar — Honour — Country — Date — Comment • — Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion — Netherlands — 31 August 1933 — Stripped of title on 15 March 1950 • — Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau — Netherlands — 11 August 1923 — Stripped of title on 15 March 1950 Honorific titles • Ribbon bar — Honour — Country — Date — Comment • — Minister of State — Netherlands — 31 August 1933 — Style of Excellency Stripped of title on 12 November 1947

The authorities additionally record the heading D. J. de Geer. He was the child of Lodewijk de Geer and Petronella Elisabeth Beckeringh. One child is recorded: L.E. de Geer van Oudegein.

Recorded positions include Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Minister of Finance, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, member of the Provincial Executive of South Holland and member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands.

Dirk Jan de Geer is recorded as politician, journalist, lawyer and writer.