Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart

His Excellency Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart
Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart in 1944
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
In office 1 January 1951 – 8 July 1956
Secretary-General	Trygve Lie (1951–1952) Dag Hammarskjöld (1953–1956)
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	August R. Lindt
Senator of the Netherlands
In office 22 October 1947 – 1 January 1951
Minister of Justice
In office 11 July 1944 – 23 February 1945
Prime Minister	Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
Preceded by	Jan van Angeren
Succeeded by	Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
Personal details
Born	Gerrit Jan Goedhart (1901-03-19)19 March 1901 Bussum, Netherlands
Died	8 July 1956(1956-07-08) (aged 55) Geneva, Switzerland
Nationality	Dutch
Political party	Labour Party (from 1946)
Other political affiliations	Independent Social Democrat (1944–1946)
Spouse(s)	Francis Becht ​ ​ (m. 1924; div. 1931)​ Erna Hauan ​ ​ (m. 1932; his death 1956)​
Children	Karin Sophie van Heuven Goedhart (1934–2013) Bergliot Halldis van Heuven Goedhart (born 1936) (second marriage)
Alma mater	Leiden University (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, Doctor of Philosophy)
Occupation	Politician · Diplomat · Jurist · Journalist · Editor · Author

Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart (19 March 1901 – 8 July 1956) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and journalist. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he was Minister of Justice from 1944 to 1945 under Prime Minister Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy. He later served as the first United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1951 until 1956.^[1]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Van Heuven Goedhart was born on 19 March 1901 in Bussum, North Holland. His father, Gijsbert Willem Goedhart, was a Protestant vicar. His mother was Francina Dingena Helena van Heuven. Van Heuven Goedhart was initially called Goedhart, but in 1933 he received permission to add his mother's maiden name to his surname. Van Heuven Goedhart studied law at Leiden University and graduated in 1926. The year before, he had already become a reporter for newspaper De Telegraaf. On 1 January 1930, at the age of 28, he was promoted to editor in chief. He was fired on 1 June 1933 because he refused to publish an article that called the newly elected German leader Adolf Hitler "a great statesman". He became editor in chief of regional newspaper Utrechts Nieuwsblad, where he would stay in office until the German invasion of the Netherlands.

Politics[]

During World War II, Van Heuven Goedhart worked as a reporter and editor in chief for the illegal resistance newspaper Het Parool. In 1944 he fled to London, where he was appointed Minister of Justice in the government in exile.

After the World War II, Van Heuven Goedhart returned to Het Parool, where he once again become editor in chief. In 1947, he also became Senator for the Labour Party. In 1951, he gave up both occupations to become the first High Commissioner for Refugees of the United Nations. Under Van Heuven Goedhart, the UNHCR was awarded the 1954 Nobel Peace Prize.

Van Heuven Goedhart was also the first chairman of the "state committee for the coordination of government information" (Dutch: Staatscommissie over de coördinatie van de overheidsvoorlichting), the predecessor of the Netherlands Government Information Service (Dutch: Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst).

Personal[]

Van Heuven Goedhart married Francis Becht (1899–1987) in 1924. The marriage was dissolved in 1931. In 1932, Van Heuven Goedhart married Norwegian Erna Hauan (1899–1991). Van Heuven Goedhart had two children from his second marriage, Karin Sophie and Bergliot Halldis.^[2][3] Van Heuven Goedhart died in Geneva on 8 July 1956, while being United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Decorations[]

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	30 April 1949
Awards
Ribbon bar	Awards	Organization	Date	Comment
	Nansen Refugee Award	United Nations	1956	Posthumously
	Wateler Peace Prize	Carnegie Foundation	1956	Posthumously

References[]

External links[]

Media related to Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart at Wikimedia Commons

Official

• (in Dutch) Mr.Dr. G.J. (Gerrit-Jan) van Heuven Goedhart Parlement & Politiek
• (in Dutch) Mr.Dr. G.J. van Heuven Goedhart (PvdA) Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal