Education
University of Groningen.
University of Groningen.
In 1885 he became leader of the Liberal Union. He was Minister of the Interior from 1897-1901, which was at the time a single ministry and was president of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands in the period 17 September 1913 - 18 January 1917. The University of Groningen gave him an honorary doctorate in medicine for his work concerning public health.
He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands from 1877 until 1917, representing respectively Winschoten, Veendam, Zutphen, Enkhuizen, Rotterdam and finally Emmen. After being a minister he became a member of the Council of State of the Netherlands.