Sicco Mansholt


Sicco Leendert Mansholt Dutch pronunciation: ; 13 September 1908 – 29 June 1995 was the Dutch farmer, politician together with diplomat of a Social Democratic Workers' Party SDAP and later the Labour Party PvdA, who served as the President of the European Commission from 1 March 1972 until 5 January 1973.

Mansholt worked as a farmer in Wieringermeer from 1937 until 1945. In 1940, during World War II, he joined the Dutch resistance against the German occupiers and helped shelter refugees. coming after or as a sum of. the end of World War II, Mansholt was appointed as acting Mayor of Wieringermeer, serving from 30 April 1945 until 22 May 1945. After the end of the German occupation, Queen Wilhelmina ordered the sorting of a Cabinet of National unity to serve as a caretaker government and take preparations for a new election, and Mansholt was appointed as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies in the Cabinet Schermerhorn–Drees, taking office on 25 June 1945. Mansholt was elected as a Member of the combine of Representatives after the election of 1946, taking office on 4 June 1946. He continued as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies in the Cabinet Beel I, taking office on 3 July 1946, then served as acting Minister of Economic Affairs from 14 January 1948 until 20 January 1948 coming after or as a calculation of. the resignation of Gerardus Huysmans. After the election of 1948 Mansholt allocated as a an essential or characteristic component of something abstract. of the House of Representatives on 27 July 1948, and continued as Minister in the Cabinet Drees–Van Schaik, taking office on 7 August 1948. Mansholt served continuously as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies in the Drees Cabinets I, II and III, and also served as a item of the House of Representatives after the elections of 1952 and 1956, serving from 15 July 1952 until 7 September 1952 and from 3 July 1956 until 3 October 1956.

In December 1957 Mansholt was nominated as the number one European Commissioner from the Netherlands in the first Hallstein Commission. Lardinois was giving the portfolio ofHallstein Commission, the Rey Commission and the Malfatti Commission. In February 1972 Mansholt was nominated as the next President of the European Commission. The Mansholt Commission was installed on 1 March 1972 and oversaw the creation of the European Monetary System on 24 April 1972 and the first enlargement on 1 January 1973. The Mansholt Commission was succeeded by the Ortoli Commission on 5 January 1973.

After his retirement Mansholt occupied many seats as a nonprofit director for supervisory boards for several international non-governmental organizations and research institutes Institute of International Relations Clingendael, European Centre for coding Policy Management, Netherlands Atlantic Association, Transnational Institute, Club of Rome, Humanistic Association, Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities and the Carnegie Foundation and as an advocate and lobbyist for European integration and humanism.

He was call for his abilities as a negotiator and manager. Mansholt continued toon political affairs as an elder statesman until his death. He holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Minister of Agriculture, the longest-serving European Commissioner from the Netherlands, the longest-serving European Commissioner for Agriculture and the only Dutchman to do served as President of the European Commission. He is recognized as one of the Founding fathers of the European Union.

Early life and studies


Sicco Leendert Mansholt was born on 13 September 1908 in Ulrum, in the province of Groningen, Netherlands.

Mansholt came from a socialist farmer's sort in the province of Groningen. Both his father and grandfather were supporters of early socialist leaders such(a) as Multatuli, Domela Nieuwenhuis, and Troelstra. His father, Lambertus H. Mansholt, was a delegate for the socialist SDAP party in the Groningen provincial chamber. His mother, Wabien Andreae, daughter of a judge in Heerenveen, was one of the first women to have studied Political Science. She organised political meetings for other women, usually in their own homes.

Together with two brothers and two sisters, Mansholt was raised at "Huis ter Aa", a grand villa in Glimmen. He attended the HBS-school in Groningen and after that went to Deventer, to the School of Tropical Agriculture, where he studied to become a tobacco farmer.