Joris in 't Veld

Biography

In 't Veld was born in Dubbeldam (now part of Dordrecht), in the same village where his father Cornelis in 't Veld was born and had worked as labourer and later greengrocer. After attending the mulo (junior high school) he started working as civil servant in the town hall of Dordrecht. He continued his studies in his spare time completing the training for municipal candidate in 1916, and in 1921 passing the state examination. Beside his work he continued to study law at Leiden University from 1921 until 1926. On July 11, 1929 he obtained his doctorate in law at the Leiden University with a thesis entitled "Nieuwe vormen van decentralisatie." (New forms of decentralization).

After his first job at the municipality of Dordrecht from 1910 to 1914, he moved to Municipality of Rotterdam, where he initially start as clerk at Public Works. He gradually got promoted in the civil service until he became acting municipal secretary and head of the Housing Department from 1936 to 1937. A year later in 1937 he succeeded Kornelis ter Laan as mayor of Zaandam.

In addition to his personal career In 't Velds had gained interest in politics. As a young man he had certain sympathy for anarchism and communism, but he switched after Troelstra's failed revolution attempt in November 1918 and joined the Social Democratic Workers Party (SDAP). He was active in the local branch of the party and in the Institute for Development Workers, where late 1920s he chaired the Rotterdam Chapter. Late-1920s he became more active in the SDAP, and was elected Member of the Senate in 1931 and served until 1937.

Besides Mayor of Zaandam in 't Veld was Member of the Senate just before and World War II, and from 1952 to 1964. In 1948 he became Minister of Reconstruction and Housing. After 1952, In 't Veld started his academic career. After holding a series of lectures on housing at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, he was included in the staff of this institution in 1954. In 1955 directed the faculty administration. From 1957 to 1965 he was Professor at the Leiden University.

Personal

In 1922 Joris married Antje Peeters, and they had a son and two daughters. His son was the Delft Professor Jan in 't Veld (1925-2005). A daughter Cornélie (Corrie) in 't Veld married Roel de Wit, Mayor of Alkmaar from 1970 until 1976 and the Queen's Commissioner of North Holland from 1976 until 1992. After the death of Antje Peeters in 1966 Joris in 't Veld remarried the same year with Ellen Elisabeth ten Brink.

He is made a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion in 1946, Commander of the Order of Orange Nassau in 1952, and Commander of the Order of the Dutch Lion in 1963.

Political career

In 't Veld was from 1931 to 1937 member of the Provincial Council of South Holland. In 1937 he became a member of the Senate for the SDAP. He was Minister of Reconstruction and Housing for the Labour Party in the First Beel cabinet and First Drees cabinet he established the Reconstruction Bill. He interpellated in 1953 as Minister Senator dark about the escape of seven war criminals. He was a moderate Orangist.

Mayor of Zaandam

In 't Veld mayor of Zaandam was from 1937 to 1941, and later from 1945 to 1948. After his first appearance in a relatively short time he acquired great popularity, particularly by his attitude during World War II. Conflicts with the Germans and especially the NSB were bound and on March 4, 1941, shortly after the February strike, followed his dismissal, he was succeeded by NSB mayor Cornelis van Ravenswaay. After the capitulation on May 5, 1945, he was immediately reinstalled as mayor. This continued until his appointment as Minister of Reconstruction and Housing. On his retirement in 1948, In 't Veld an honorary citizen of Zaandam, there was also a park named after him.

Minister of Reconstruction and Housing

As Minister of Reconstruction and Housing was in 't Veld the first postwar minister seriously interested in planning. The construction of new houses only slowly rose after World War II, partly due to the lack of good and affordable building material. In the 1930s In 't Veld as Minister of Housing had been specter of mass unemployment and again feared for further unemployment in the construction industry. For this reason In 't Veld pleaded for a gradual approach to tackling the housing shortage. The policy of the government prioritised the construction of utilities for business.

Under his rule the houses production increased significantly but the housing shortage experience defy him and his successors. The homebuilding got under In 't Veld the highest priority and surpassed the 90,000 homes per year. However, the growth in demand exceeded supply, as the number of persons per household decreased. Many of the houses were built with a solid state.

Humanitas

Just after the war, the foundation Humanitas founded on May 31, 1945 and In 't Veld became its first president. He expressed the mission of Humanitas as "No help offered from above, but help born from a sense of solidarity, and responsibility for the needs of neighbors in distress." In 't Veld was himself a convinced Modern Humanist and from its founding until 1954 a member of the Executive Board of the Humanistisch Verbond (HV). Humanist Association (HV).

Under his chairmanship of Humanitas from 1945 to 1963 he has worked sought merger between the two organizations. In 't Veld was personally convinced that social work could only be fruitful when thrives are based on a philosophy of life. His plans for cooperation are torpedoed by the members and delegates at Humanitas conferences. Together with the politician and first president of the Humanistisch Verbond Jaap van Praag they kept promoting the idea of the Humanist Movement.

Public Administration

At older age In 't Veld regularly published articles on administrative law and administrative and political issues. He was an expert of constitutional and administrative law, and authored with H.A. Brasz and A. Kleijn the Inleiding tot de bestuurswetenschap (Introduction to Public Administration) and as sole author the 1979 Beginselen van behoorlijk bestuur (Principles of good governance). This book covered topics such as service quality, capacity, equality, trust, interests and motivation. In 't Veld proposed a classification, similar to the one by Belinfante in 1968, who defined :

The 1968 subdivision of In ' t Veld was similar, only he conceived the principle of impartiality and the right to be heard together principle into the principle of "fair play."

Publications

In 't Veld authored dozens of articles and books. A selection: