Baron Berend-Jan Marie van Voorst tot Voorst (7 February 1944 – 6 November 2023) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist.[1]
Van Voorst tot Voorst worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from July 1968 until September 1972 and as a diplomat for the Directorate-General for External Relations of the European Commission in Brussels from September 1972 until May 1985. Van Voorst tot Voorst worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Economic Affairs as Director-General of the department for Foreign Trade from May 1985 until September 1988. Van Voorst tot Voorst was appointed State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Lubbers II following the resignation of René van der Linden, taking office on 27 September 1988. Van Voorst tot Voorst was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1989, taking office on 14 September 1989. Following the cabinet formation of 1989 Van Voorst tot Voorst was appointed State Secretary for Defence in the Cabinet Lubbers III, taking office on 7 November 1989.
In June 1993 Van Voorst tot Voorst was nominated as Queen's Commissioner of Limburg, he resigned as a State Secretary on 1 June 1993 and was installed as Queen's Commissioner, serving from 1 July 1993 until 1 July 2005.
Personal life
Berend-Jan van Voorst tot Voorst had his secondary education in Tilburg and studied law at the Catholic University of Nijmegen and politics as well as science at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.[1]
Van Voorst tot Voorst was married and had three daughters. He died on 6 November 2023, at the age of 79.[2]
Decorations
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commander of the Order of Leopold II | Belgium | 15 May 1989 | ||
| Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 25 June 1993 | ||
| Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre | Holy See | 16 April 1996 | Elevated from Knight (19 July 1989) | |
| Grand Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown | Luxembourg | 12 December 1996 | ||
| Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great | Holy See | 18 September 1998 | ||
| Grand Cross of the Order pro Merito Melitensi | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 1 January 2002 | ||
| Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | Netherlands | 1 July 2005 | ||
| Commander of the Legion of Honour | France | 25 November 2005 |
References
- 1.[1.2]"Mr. B.J.M. (Berend-Jan) baron van Voorst tot Voorst" (in Dutch). Parliamentary Documentation Centre (PDC). Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- 2."Oud-gouverneur Van Voorst tot Voorst (79) overleden" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 8 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023.