Johan van Hulst

His Excellency Johan van Hulst
Johan van Hulst in 1980
Parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the Senate of the Netherlands
In office 8 June 1977 – 10 June 1981
Preceded by	First
Succeeded by	Jan Christiaanse
Parliamentary leader of the Christian Historical Union in the Senate of the Netherlands
In office 10 December 1968 – 8 June 1977
Preceded by	Johannes Christiaan Bührmann
Succeeded by	Party Disbanded
Chairman of the Christian Historical Union
In office 5 October 1968 – 19 February 1972
Leader	Jur Mellema (1968–1970) Berend Jan Udink (1970–1971) Arnold Tilanus (1971–1972)
Preceded by	Arnold Tilanus
Succeeded by	Otto van Verschuer
Member of the European Parliament for the Netherlands
In office 16 October 1961 – 30 September 1968
Member of the Senate of the Netherlands
In office 3 July 1956 – 10 June 1981
Personal details
Born	Johan Wilhelm van Hulst (1911-01-28)28 January 1911 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died	22 March 2018(2018-03-22) (aged 107) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Political party	Christian Democratic Appeal (from 1980)
Other political affiliations	Christian Historical Union (1945–1980)
Spouse	Anna Jannetta Donker (m. 1936–1998; her death)
Children	2 children
Residence(s)	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Alma mater	VU University Amsterdam (Master of Philosophy, Master of Psychology, Master of Education, Master of Letters, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Letters)
Occupation	Politician Author Teacher Pedagogue Professor

Johan Wilhelm van Hulst (28 January 1911 – 22 March 2018) was a Dutch politician of the Christian Historical Union (CHU), a defunct political party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

He served as Member of the Senate from July 3, 1956 until June 10, 1981. He served as the Parliamentary leader of the Christian Historical Union in the Senate from December 10, 1968 until June 8, 1977 when the Christian Historical Union merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal, he became the first Parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the Senate serving until June 10, 1981. He was a Member of the European Parliament for the Christian Democratic Group, from October 16, 1961 until September 30, 1968. Van Hulst was the Party chair of the Christian Historical Union from September 13, 1969 until February 19, 1972.

Van Hulst was an emeritus professor of Pedagogy at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and the highly prolific author of more than one hundred publications. He was also a chess player. In 1943 he was responsible for rescuing hundreds of Jewish babies and children from the nursery of the Hollandsche Schouwburg in Amsterdam before they were deported. For his humanitarian actions he received the Yad Vashem Distinction as a Righteous Among the Nations from the State of Israel on 8 March 1972.

Early life

Van Hulst was born on 28 January 1911 in Amsterdam. He studied psychology and pedagogy at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. In the meanwhile he also worked as a teacher and mentor in the cities Oudewater, Utrecht and Purmerend. From 1942 until 1960 he was Principal of the Pedagogical Academy in Amsterdam. In that capacity he was responsible for rescuing hundreds of Jewish babies and children from the nursery of the Hollandsche Schouwburg for which he received the Yad Vashem Distinction in 1973. He is the author of several publications.

Politics

Senate

Van Hulst served as a politician at several levels. From 1956 until 1981 he was a member of the Dutch Senate. From 1961 until 1968 he was a member of the European Parliament and from 1969 until 1972 he was chairman of the Christian Historical Union (CHU). From 1972 until 1981 Van Hulst was group leader in the Senate of the Netherlands; first for the Christian Historical Union (CHU) and from 1977 on for the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

Chairman

Van Hulst was elected as Chairman of the Christian Historical Union on 5 October 1968 during the Christian Historical Union party conference of 1968. Van Hulst was tasked with preparing for the upcoming for the Dutch general election of 1971.

Personal

Van Hulst was also an active chess player. At the age of 95 he won the Corus Chess Tournament for (former) politicians. He won the tournament again in 2010. On 28 January 2011 Van Hulst celebrated his 100th birthday. According to René van der Linden, the president of the Senate of the Netherlands, Van Hulst was the first former member of the Senate of the Netherlands to reach the age of 100 since the establishment of the upper house in 1815.

Shortly before his 107th birthday he gave an interview on Dutch television, talking about his experiences during World War II.

On March 22, 2018, Van Hulst passed away at the age of 107.

External links

Media related to Johan van Hulst at Wikimedia Commons

• Template:Nl icon Dr. J.W. (Johan) van Hulst Parlement & Politiek
• Template:Nl icon Dr. J.W. van Hulst (CDA) Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal
• Template:Nl icon Johan van Hulst Yad Vashem