Hendrik Pieter "Henri" Marchant (12 February 1869 – 12 May 1956) was a Dutch politician who co-founded the Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) and served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1900 until 1933, after which he was Minister of Education, Arts, and Science until 1935.[1][2]

Henri Marchant
Black and white photograph of a man
Henri Marchant in 1934
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
1900–1933
Minister of Education, Arts, and Science
In office
1933–1935
Personal details
Born
Hendrik Pieter (Henri) Marchant

(1869-02-12)12 February 1869
Deventer, Netherlands
Died12 May 1956(1956-05-12) (aged 87)
The Hague, Netherlands
Political party

Marchant was active in local politics in Deventer before elected to the House of Representatives in 1900 for the Liberal Union.[1] In 1901 he was one of the founding members of the VDB, a merger of the Radical League and the left wing of the Liberal Union.[1][3] In 1916 he became leader of the VDB's parliamentary group.[4]

In 1919 his private member's bill led to women's suffrage in the Netherlands.[5] His main political opponent was Hendrik Colijn, whose first cabinet he helped come to a premature end in 1925.[1][6] Marchant subsequently was appointed formateur but failed to form a new, centre-left cabinet.[1] In 1933 he accepted the position of Minister of Education, Arts, and Science in the Second Colijn cabinet. He introduced a spelling reform that bore his name ("spelling-Marchant").[1] He resigned in 1935 when he lost his party's support following the disclosure of his secret baptism.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Mr. H.P. (Henri) Marchant". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Marchantlezing 2021 – Mariana Mazzucato: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism". canmierlostichting.nl. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Radicale Bond". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  4. ^ Klijnsma 2007, p. 206.
  5. ^ van der Kaaij 2012, p. 110.
  6. ^ Klijnsma 2007, p. 330.
  7. ^ Klijnsma 2007, pp. 489–490.

Sources

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  • Klijnsma, Meine Henk (2007). Om de Democratie: de Geschiedenis van de Vrijzinnig-Democratische Bond, 1901-1946 [About Democracy: the History of the Free-thinking Democratic League, 1901–1946] (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Bert Bakker. ISBN 978-90-351-3239-9.
  • van der Kaaij, Meindert (2012). Een Eenzaam Staatsman: Dirk de Geer (1870-1960) [A Lonely Statesman: Dirk de Geer (1870-1960)] (in Dutch). Hilversum, Netherlands: Verloren. ISBN 9789087042936.