Jelle Zijlstra

Who was Jelle Zijlstra?

Jelle Zijlstra was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal. He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from November 22, 1966 until April 5, 1967.

An Economist by occupation, he became a professor of Economics at the Vrije Universiteit at the age of thirty in 1948. Zijlstra was asked to become Minister of Economic Affairs after the Dutch general election of 1952 in the Cabinet Drees II under Prime Minister Willem Drees of the Labour Party, he resigned as a professor the same day he took office as the new Minister of Economic Affairs on September 2, 1952. Zijlstra became the lijsttrekker of the Anti Revolutionary Party for the Dutch general election of 1956 and served as Party leader from April 23, 1956 to October 3, 1956, and as the Parliamentary leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives from June 14, 1956 to October 3, 1956 and a Member of the House of Representatives from July 3, 1956 to October 3, 1956. After a slow cabinet formation the Cabinet Drees III was formed and Zijlstra remained as Minister of Economic Affairs.