Carel Godfried Willem Hendrik (Pim), baron van Boetzelaer

Van Boetzelaer

Van Boetzelaer is an old aristocratic family that stems from the region of Kalkar, Germany.The family history in the Duchy of Cleves can be traced back to the 13th century, when the van Boetzelaers belonged to the local nobility...

 van Oosterhout (17 November 1892, Amersfoort

Amersfoort

Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...

 – 20 May 1986, Ubbergen

Ubbergen

Ubbergen is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Beek, Berg en Dal, Erlecom, Groenlanden, Kekerdom, Leuth, Ooij, Persingen, Tiengeboden, Ubbergen and Wercheren.-External links:*...

) was a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 diplomat

Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

 and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

.

Van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout's father was mayor of Leusden

Leusden

Leusden is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is located about 3 kilometres southeast of Amersfoort....

. After studying at Utrecht University

Utrecht University

Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....

 and obtaining a Master of Laws

Master of Laws

The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...

 at the University of Amsterdam in 1921, he held many diplomatic positions abroad including in Washington DC (1926-29), Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 (1930-1934), and Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 (1934-1940). After the German invasion of the Netherlands he led the diplomatic affairs in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 from May to August 1940 after which he became ambassador for the Netherlands in Washington DC.

He held this position until he was asked, as a non-partisan, to become Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first cabinet Beel

Netherlands cabinet Beel-1

Beel I was the first post-World War II cabinet of the Netherlands that was the result of elections . It consisted of ministers of PvdA and KVP and three independent ministers. The cabinet was headed by Louis Beel.A major issue was the independence of the Dutch East Indies...

 (3 July 1946 to 7 August 1948). As minister he voted in August 1947 against expansion of military actions

Indonesian National Revolution

The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution...

 in the Dutch Indies, pushed through laws enabling the Benelux

Benelux

The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...

 treaties, signed the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation and the subsequent Marshal plan contracts, and prepared the way for the NATO by signing the Treaty of Brussels

Treaty of Brussels

The Treaty of Brussels was signed on 17 March 1948 between Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as an expansion to the preceding year's defence pledge, the Dunkirk Treaty signed between Britain and France...

in March 1948.