Minister of the Navy (Netherlands)

The minister of the navy (Dutch: Minister van Marine) of the Netherlands was the minister responsible for the Ministry of the Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy. Created in 1855, the position was abolished with the creation of the position of Minister of Defence in 1928, then reestablished in 1941 upon the abolition of the Ministry of Defence. When the Ministry of Defence was reestablished in 1948, the position of Minister of the Navy again was abolished.

Minister of the Navy
Minister van Marine
Flag of the Minister of the Navy
Longest serving Lodewijk Gerard Brocx (4 June 1868–18 December 1873)
Ministry of the Navy
Member of	Council of Ministers Cabinet
Reports to	Prime Minister
Appointer	Prime Minister
Formation	25 March 1848
First holder	Charles Nepveu
Final holder	Alexander Fiévez
Abolished	7 August 1948
Succession	Minister of Defence
Deputy	State Secretary for Navy

The first minister of the navy was Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke, while the last one was Alexander Fiévez, a member of the Catholic People's Party.

List of officeholders

Minister of the Navy			Term of office	Party	Prime Minister (Cabinet)
		Captain Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke (1801–1875)	8 February 1855 – 1 July 1856	Independent Conservative (Liberal Conservative)	Floris Adriaan van Hall (Van Hall-Donker Curtius)
			1 July 1856 – 1 August 1856 [Ad interim]		Justinus van der Brugghen (Van der Brugghen)
		Johannes Servaas Lotsy (1808–1863)	1 August 1856 – 18 March 1858	(Liberal)
			18 March 1858 – 23 February 1860		Jan Jacob Rochussen (Rochussen)
			23 February 1860 – 14 March 1861		Floris Adriaan van Hall (Van Hall Van Heemstra)
		Willem Huyssen van Kattendijke (1816–1866)	14 March 1861 – 1 February 1862	(Liberal)	Jacob van Zuylen van Nijevelt (Van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van Haemstra)
			1 February 1862 – 6 February 1866		Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (Thorbecke II)
		Lieutenant General Johan Wilhelm Blanken (1806–1880)	6 February 1866 – 10 February 1866[Ad interim]	(Liberal)	Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (Thorbecke II)
			10 February 1866 – 1 June 1866[Ad interim]		Isaäc Dignus Fransen van de Putte (Fransen van de Putte)
		Vice admiral Pels Rijcken (1810–1889)	1 June 1866 – 4 June 1868	Independent Conservative (Liberal Conservative)	Jules van Zuylen van Nijevelt (Van Zuylen van Nijevelt) [1]
		Lodewijk Gerard Brocx (1819–1880)	4 June 1868 – 18 December 1873 [Res]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)	Pieter Philip van Bosse (Van Bosse–Fock) [2]
					Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (Thorbecke III) [3]
					Gerrit de Vries (De Vries–Fransen van de Putte) [4]
		Isaäc Dignus Fransen van de Putte (Minister of Colonial Affairs) (1822–1902)	18 December 1873 – 16 May 1874 [Ad interim]	Independent Liberal (Social Liberal)
		Willem van Erp Taalman Kip (1824–1905)	16 May 1874 – 3 November 1877	Independent Liberal (Conservative Liberal)
		Jonkheer Captain Hendrikus Wichers (1831–1889)	3 November 1877 – 20 August 1879	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)	Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello (Kappeyne van de Coppello) [5]
		Willem van Erp Taalman Kip (1824–1905)	20 August 1879 – 23 April 1883	Independent Liberal (Conservative Liberal)	Theo van Lynden van Sandenburg (Van Lynden van Sandenburg) [6]
		Vice admiral Frederik Geerling (1815–1894)	23 April 1883 – 19 April 1884 [Res]	Independent Conservative (Liberal Conservative)	Jan Heemskerk (J. Heemskerk) [7]
		Willem van Erp Taalman Kip (1824–1905)	19 April 1884 – 5 August 1885 [Res]	Independent Liberal (Conservative Liberal)
		Rear admiral Willem Gericke (1836–1914)	5 August 1885 – 26 January 1887 [Res]	Independent Conservative (Liberal Conservative)
		Frederik Cornelis Tromp (1828–1900)	26 January 1887 – 21 April 1888	Independent Liberal (Conservative Liberal)
		Rear admiral Hendrik Dyserinck (1838–1906)	21 April 1888 – 31 March 1891 [Res]	Independent Conservative (Liberal Conservative)	Aeneas Mackay (Mackay) [8]
		Rear admiral Gerhardus Kruys (1846–1916)	31 March 1891 – 21 August 1891	Independent Christian Democrat (Protestant)
		Joannes Coenraad Jansen (1840–1925)	21 August 1891 – 9 May 1894	Liberal Union	Gijsbert van Tienhoven (Van Tienhoven) [9]
		Jonkheer Herman van der Wijck (1843–1932)	9 May 1894 – 27 July 1897	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)	Joan Röell (Röell) [10]
		Joannes Coenraad Jansen (1840–1925)	27 July 1897 – 22 December 1897 [Res]	Liberal Union	Nicolaas Pierson (Pierson) [11]
		Lieutenant general Kornelis Eland (Minister of War) (1838–1927)	22 December 1897 – 12 January 1898 [Ad interim]	Liberal Union
		Vice admiral Jonkheer Jacob Röell (1846–1935)	12 January 1898 – 1 August 1901	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)
		Vice admiral Gerhardus Kruys (1846–1916)	1 August 1901 – 12 December 1902 [Died]	Independent Christian Democrat (Protestant)	Abraham Kuyper (Kuyper) [12]
		Lieutenant general Johannes Bergansius (Minister of War) (1836–1913)	12 December 1902 – 16 March 1903 [Ad interim]	Independent Christian Democrat (Catholic)
		Vice admiral Abraham George Ellis (1846–1916)	16 March 1903 – 17 August 1905	Independent Conservative (Liberal Conservative)
		Captain William Cohen Stuart (1857–1935)	17 August 1905 – 5 August 1907 [Res]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)	Theo de Meester (De Meester) [13]
		Vice admiral Jan Wentholt (1851–1931)	5 August 1907 – 14 May 1912 [Res]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)
					Theo Heemskerk (T. Heemskerk) [14]
		Major Hendrikus Colijn (also Minister of War) (1869–1944)	14 May 1912 – 29 August 1913	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Rear admiral Jean Jacques Rambonnet (1864–1943)	29 August 1913 – 28 June 1918 [Res]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)	Pieter Cort van der Linden (Cort van der Linden) [15]
		Jonkheer Bonifacius Cornelis de Jonge (Minister of War) (1875–1958)	28 June 1918 – 9 September 1918 [Ad interim]	Christian Historical Union
		Jonkheer George Alting von Geusau (Minister of War) (1864–1937)	9 September 1918 – 16 September 1918 [Ad interim]	Roman Catholic State Party	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (Ruijs de Beerenbrouck I) [16]
		Vice admiral Willem Naudin ten Cate (1860–1942)	16 September 1918 – 19 February 1919 [Res]	Independent Christian Democrat (Protestant)
		Jonkheer Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (Prime Minister) (1873–1936)	19 February 1919 – 19 April 1919 [Ad interim]	Roman Catholic State Party
		Hendrik Bijleveld (1885–1954)	19 April 1919 – 5 January 1920 [Res]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Hendrik van IJsselsteyn (Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry) (1874–1942)	5 January 1920 – 31 March 1920 [Ad interim]	Independent Christian Democrat (Protestant)
		Lieutenant general Willem Frederik Pop (also Minister of War) (1858–1931)	31 March 1920 – 28 July 1921 [Res]	Independent
		Captain Jannes van Dijk (also Minister of War) (1871–1954)	28 July 1921 – 18 September 1922	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Lieutenant commander Evert Pieter Westerveld (1873–1964)	18 September 1922 – 4 August 1925	Independent Liberal (Conservative Liberal)	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (Ruijs de Beerenbrouck II) [17]
		Major Johan Lambooij (also Minister of War) (1874–1942)	4 August 1925 – 8 March 1926	Roman Catholic State Party	Hendrikus Colijn (Colijn I) [18]
		Captain Louis van Royen (also Minister of War) (1865–1946)	8 March 1926 – 24 April 1926 [Res]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)	Dirk Jan de Geer (De Geer I) [19]
		Major Johan Lambooij (also Minister of War) (1874–1942)	24 April 1926 – 1 September 1928	Roman Catholic State Party
No minister of the navy (1928–1941)
		Lieutenant admiral Johan Furstner (1887–1970)	27 July 1941 – 23 February 1945	Independent Conservative (Liberal Conservative)	Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (Gerbrandy II) [20]
		Lieutenant commander Jim de Booy (1885–1969)	23 February 1945 – 3 July 1946	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)	Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (Gerbrandy III) [21]
					Willem Schermerhorn (Schermerhorn–Drees) [22]
		Lieutenant colonel Alexander Fiévez (Minister of War) (1902–1949)	3 July 1946 – 7 August 1946 [Ad interim]	Catholic People's Party	Louis Beel (Beel I) [23]
		Lieutenant commander Jules Schagen van Leeuwen (1896–1976)	7 August 1946 – 25 November 1947 [Res]	Independent Conservative (Social Conservative)
		Lieutenant colonel Alexander Fiévez (also Minister of War) (1902–1949)	25 November 1947 – 7 August 1948	Catholic People's Party

^Resigned

^Acting

^{Ad Interim}

See also

• List of ministers of defence of the Netherlands
• Minister of War