Tobie Goedewaagen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Goedewaagen in 1941 | |
| Secretary General of the Department of Public Information and the Arts | |
| In office 28 November 1940 – 28 January 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Hermannus Reydon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 March 1895 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | 4 January 1980 (aged 84) The Hague, Netherlands |
| Political party | National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (1936–1945) Alliance for National Reconstruction (1933–1936) |
| Spouse(s) |
Anna Bertha de Roos
(m. 1919; div. 1928)Geertruida Hendrika Johanna Vruink
(m. 1930) |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Academic, politician |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Utrecht University |
| Thesis | De logische rechtvaardiging der zedelijkheid bij Fichte, Schelling en Hegel (1923) |
Tobie Goedewaagen (15 March 1895 – 4 January 1980) was a Dutch philosopher and politician. He served as the first secretary general of the Department of Public Information and the Arts, an institution established by the Nazi German occupation government, and led the Nederlandsche Kultuurkamer (Netherlands Chamber of Culture) that had been established by the regime.
The son of a banker, Goedewaagen studied philosophy at Utrecht University, receiving his doctorate in 1923. He was teaching in private lectures two years later, focusing on post-Kantian philosophy. After he was refused a professorship in 1932, he began reading about Nazi eugenics and became a fervent anti-Semite. He contributed to the publications of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB), and after the German invasion he joined that party. Goedewaagen's work along with the press was recognised by Austrian Nazi reichskommissar Arthur Seyss-Inquart, resulting in his appointment as secretary general in November 1940.
Goedewaagen sought to nazify the press and enable political control of the arts. However, after coming into conflict with NSB chairman Anton Mussert, he was dismissed from the party and resigned from his station. Appointed professor of philosophy at Utrecht University by the regime, Goedewaagen fled the Netherlands in 1944 for Germany. He was arrested in 1946, extradited to the Netherlands, tried, and sentenced in 1948 to twelve years' imprisonment. After receiving amnesty in 1952, Goedewaagen worked as a private tutor and published several works pseudonymously.