Louis Beel

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His Excellency Louis Beel
Official portrait, c. 1958
Vice-President of the Council of State
In office 1 August 1959 – 1 July 1972
Monarch	Juliana
Preceded by	Bram Rutgers
Succeeded by	Marinus Ruppert
Member of the Council of State
In office 1 June 1959 – 1 August 1959
In office 1 April 1958 – 22 December 1958
Vice President	Bram Rutgers
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 22 December 1958 – 19 May 1959
Monarch	Juliana
Deputy	Teun Struycken
Preceded by	Willem Drees
Succeeded by	Jan de Quay
In office 3 July 1946 – 7 August 1948
Monarch	Wilhelmina
Deputy	Willem Drees
Preceded by	Willem Schermerhorn
Succeeded by	Willem Drees
Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 2 September 1952 – 7 July 1956
Monarch	Juliana
Prime Minister	Willem Drees
Preceded by	Josef van Schaik
Succeeded by	Teun Struycken
High Commissioner of Dutch East Indies
In office 29 October 1948 – 18 May 1949
Monarch	Juliana
Prime Minister	Willem Drees
Preceded by	Hubertus van Mook (as Lieutenant Governor-General)
Succeeded by	Tony Lovink
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 27 July 1948 – 7 September 1948
In office 4 June 1946 – 3 July 1946
Ministerial offices Minister of Social Affairs and Health In office 22 December 1958 – 19 May 1959 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Ko Suurhoff Succeeded by Charles van Rooy Minister of Justice Ad interim In office 4 February 1956 – 15 February 1956 Prime Minister Willem Drees Preceded by Leendert Antonie Donker Succeeded by Julius Christiaan van Oven Minister of Social Work Ad interim In office 2 September 1952 – 9 September 1952 Prime Minister Willem Drees Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Frans-Jozef van Thiel Minister of the Interior In office 6 December 1951 – 7 July 1956 Prime Minister Willem Drees Preceded by Frans Teulings (ad interim) Succeeded by Julius Christiaan van Oven (ad interim) In office 23 February 1945 – 15 September 1947 Prime Minister See list Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (1945) Willem Schermerhorn (1945–1946) Louis Beel (1946–1947) Preceded by Hendrik van Boeijen (ad interim) Succeeded by Piet Witteman Minister of Colonial Affairs Ad interim In office 30 August 1947 – 3 November 1947 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Jan Jonkman Succeeded by Jan Jonkman
Personal details
Born	Louis Joseph Maria Beel (1902-04-12)12 April 1902 Roermond, Netherlands
Died	11 February 1977(1977-02-11) (aged 74) Utrecht, Netherlands
Political party	Catholic People's Party
Other political affiliations	Roman Catholic State Party (1933–1945)
Spouse	Jet van der Meulen ​ ​ (m. 1926; died 1971)​
Alma mater	Radboud University Nijmegen (LL.B., LL.M., PhD)
Occupation	Politician civil servant jurist lawyer researcher author professor nonprofit director

Louis Joseph Maria Beel (12 April 1902 – 11 February 1977) was a Dutch politician of the Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) and later co-founder of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 3 July 1946 until 7 August 1948 and from 22 December 1958 until 19 May 1959.^[1]

Beel studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Master of Laws degree and worked as a civil servant in Eindhoven and for the provincial executive of Overijssel from July 1929 until May 1942 and as a researcher at his alma mater before finishing his thesis and graduating as a Doctor of Law in Administrative law and during World War II worked as a lawyer in Eindhoven from May 1942 until January 1945. Shortly before the end of the War, Beel was appointed as Minister of the Interior in the Gerbrandy III cabinet, the last government-in-exile taking office on 23 February 1945. After a cabinet formation, Beel retained his position in the national unity Schermerhorn–Drees cabinet. After the 1946 general election Beel was asked to lead a new cabinet and following a successful cabinet formation with Labour Leader Willem Drees formed the Beel I cabinet and became Prime Minister of the Netherlands and dual served as Minister of the Interior taking office on 3 July 1946.

After the 1948 general election, Beel failed to achieve a new coalition following a difficult cabinet formation and was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives on 27 July 1948. Beel left office following the installation of the Drees–Van Schaik cabinet on 7 August 1948 and continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a backbencher. In September 1948, Beel was nominated as the next high commissioner of the Dutch East Indies, serving from 29 October 1948 until 18 May 1949 and worked as a professor of administrative law and public administration at his alma mater and the Catholic Economic University from October 1949 until December 1951. Following a cabinet reshuffle he was again appointed as minister of the interior in the Drees I cabinet, taking office on 6 December 1951. After the 1952 general election, Beel continued his office in the Drees II cabinet and also became deputy prime minister, taking office on 2 September 1952. On 7 July 1956 Beel, resigned after his appointment to lead a special commission investigating a political crisis concerning the royal family. In February 1958, Beel was nominated as a Member of the Council of State taking office on 1 April 1958. After the fall of the Drees III cabinet, Beel was asked to lead an interim cabinet until the next election, and following a successful cabinet formation formed the caretaker Beel II cabinet and again became Prime Minister of the Netherlands and dual served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health taking office on 22 December 1958.

Before the 1959 general election, Beel indicated that he would not serve another term as prime minister or not stand for the election. Beel left office a second time following the installation of the De Quay cabinet on 19 May 1959. Beel continued to be active in politics and in July 1959 was nominated as the next vice-president of the Council of State, serving from 1 August 1959 until 1 July 1972.

Beel retired from active politics at 70 and became active in the public sector as a non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government. Beel was known for his abilities as an efficient manager and effective consensus builder. Beel was granted the honorary title of minister of state on 21 November 1956 and continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until he was diagnosed with leukemia in August 1976, dying six months later at the age of 74. He holds the distinction as the only prime minister to have served two non-consecutive terms after World War II and because of his short terms in office his premiership is therefore usually omitted both by scholars and the public in rankings but his legacy as a minister in the 1940s and 50s and later as vice-president of the Council of State continue to this day.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}