Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck

Jonkheer Charles Joseph Marie Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1 December 1873 – 17 April 1936) was a Dutch politician of the Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP). He served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 9 September 1918 until 4 August 1925 and from 10 August 1929 until 26 May 1933.

His Excellency Jonkheer Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Ruijs de Beerenbrouck in 1918
Chairman of the Council of Ministers
In office 10 August 1929 – 26 May 1933
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Dirk Jan de Geer
Succeeded by	Hendrikus Colijn
In office 9 September 1918 – 4 August 1925
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Pieter Cort van der Linden
Succeeded by	Hendrikus Colijn
Leader of the Roman Catholic State Party
In office 27 August 1931 – 17 April 1936
Preceded by	Willem Hubert Nolens
Succeeded by	Piet Aalberse
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 31 May 1933 – 17 April 1936
Preceded by	Josef van Schaik
Succeeded by	Piet Aalberse
In office 17 September 1925 – 10 August 1929
Preceded by	Dionysius Koolen
Succeeded by	Josef van Schaik
Chairman of the Roman Catholic State Party
In office 4 August 1925 – 10 August 1929
Leader	Willem Hubert Nolens
Preceded by	Antonius van Wijnbergen
Succeeded by	Carel Goseling
Queen's Commissioner of Limburg
In office 7 May 1918 – 9 September 1918
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Preceded by	Gustave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Succeeded by	Eduard van Hövell tot Westerflier
Ministerial portfolios Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 20 April 1933 – 26 May 1933 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Frans Beelaerts van Blokland Succeeded by Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry In office 13 September 1922 – 1 January 1923 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Hendrik van IJsselsteyn Succeeded by Piet Aalberse as Minister of Labour, Commerce and Industry Minister of the Interior and Agriculture In office 10 August 1929 – 1 May 1932 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Jan Kan Succeeded by Himself as Minister of the Interior In office 1 January 1923 – 4 August 1925 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Himself as Minister of the Interior Succeeded by Dirk Jan de Geer Minister of War In office 5 January 1920 – 31 March 1920 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by George Alting von Geusau Succeeded by Willem Frederik Pop Minister of Colonial Affairs In office 13 August 1919 – 13 November 1919 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Alexander Idenburg Succeeded by Simon de Graaff Minister of the Navy In office 19 February 1919 – 19 April 1919 Ad interim Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Willem Naudin ten Cate Succeeded by Hendrik Bijleveld Minister of the Interior In office 1 May 1932 – 26 May 1933 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Himself as Minister of the Interior and Agriculture Succeeded by Jacob Adriaan de Wilde In office 9 September 1918 – 1 January 1923 Prime Minister Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Preceded by Pieter Cort van der Linden Succeeded by Himself as Minister of the Interior and Agriculture
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Representatives In office 9 May 1933 – 17 April 1936 In office 15 September 1925 – 10 August 1929 In office 25 July 1922 – 18 September 1922 In office 7 December 1909 – 16 May 1918 Constituency Gulpen In office 19 September 1905 – 21 September 1909 Constituency Gulpen
Personal details
Born	Charles Joseph Marie Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1873-12-01)1 December 1873 Roermond, Netherlands
Died	17 April 1936(1936-04-17) (aged 62) Utrecht, Netherlands
Cause of death	Addison's disease
Political party	Roman Catholic State Party (from 1926)
Other political affiliations	General League (until 1926)
Spouse	Maria van der Heyden ​ ​ (m. 1902)​
Children	3
Parent	Gustave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1842–1926) (father)
Relatives	Godfried van Voorst tot Voorst (son in law)
Alma mater	Utrecht University (LLB) Leiden University (LLM)
Occupation	Politician · Civil servant · Jurist · Lawyer · Prosecutor
Signature

Early life

Charles Joseph Maria Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was born on 1 December 1873 in Roermond, a town with a Bishop's see in the province of Limburg, in the very south of the Netherlands. Born into an aristocratic family, he grew up in a predominantly Catholic community and went to school in Maastricht and in The Hague. He attended the Utrecht University and in 1895, he obtained his master's degree in law at the Leiden University.

He was the son of Gustave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1842–1926), Minister of Justice in the Mackay cabinet (founder of the labour and social laws first) and later governor of Limburg (1918).

Career

He started his career in 1896 as a lawyer in Maastricht. In 1899 Ruijs de Beerenbrouck became a member of the Maastricht municipal council and in 1905 he was elected to the House of Representatives. Ruijs de Beerenbrouck remained a councillor and a member of parliament until 16 May 1918, when he became Queen's Commissioner of the province of Limburg (in the province of Limburg usually called Gouverneur, or Governor).

Ruijs de Beerenbrouck did not stay in office as Queen's Commissioner for long, as on 9 September 1918 he was appointed as Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

As Chairman of the Council of Ministers he had to deal with the aftermath of World War I. Although the Netherlands had remained neutral during the conflict, Ruijs de Beerenbrouck nevertheless faced several problems, particularly the return of German troops through the province of Limburg and the exile of the German emperor Wilhelm II.

In November 1918 the leader of the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP), Pieter Jelles Troelstra, inspired by the Russian Revolution and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, called for a socialist revolution among the working class. However, the revolution attempt of Troelstra met with little enthusiasm. Despite this, Ruijs de Beerenbrouck enacted several social reforms in order to satisfy the working class.

From 1925 to 1929 Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was Speaker of the House of Representatives.

During his third cabinet Ruijs de Beerenbrouck had to deal with the worldwide Great Depression of 1929 and the early 1930s, which had crippling effects on the Dutch economy, effects which lasted longer than they did in most European countries. The depression led to high unemployment and poverty, as well as increasing social unrest. Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was forced to cut government expenses and to devalue the national currency, the Guilder, but these measures only worsened the effects of the economic crisis.

In February 1933 the third Ruijs de Beerenbrouck cabinet ordered the bombing of the navy cruiser De Zeven Provinciën, when sailors aboard the cruiser, cruising near Sumatra, mutinied because of the cutting of their wages. Twenty three mutineers were killed, resulting in a prolonged controversy and recriminations.

In 1933 Ruijs de Beerenbrouck became Speaker of the House of Representatives again. He remained in office until his death.

Personal life

On 15 April 1902, Ruijs de Beerenbrouck married Maria van der Heyden (19 August 1877 – 17 January 1948). Ruijs de Beerenbrouck died on 17 April 1936 at the age of 62 in Utrecht.

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Grand Officer of the Order of the House of Orange	Netherlands	1 December 1918
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown	Belgium	5 July 1922
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau	Netherlands	4 August 1925	Elevated from Grand Officer (31 August 1923)
	Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold	Belgium	25 August 1925
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	25 July 1927	Elevated from Commander (1 August 1924)
	Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre	Holy See	10 December 1929
Honorific Titles
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Minister of State	Netherlands	25 July 1927	Style of Excellency

External links

• Moeyes, Paul: Beerenbrouck, Charkes Ruijs de, in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War.