Djumhana Wiriaatmadja was a Sundanese aristocrat, regent, politician, and diplomat. Born in Cianjur, Djumhana entered law after finished studying in the Rechthogeschool. He began to work as a seconded employee in the district court of Bandung, and later became the regent of Pandeglang. After Indonesia's independence, he was appointed as the cabinet formateur of the State of Pasundan on 28 December 1948 by Wiranatakusumah V, officially being sworn in on 10 January 1949. After the dissolution of the state, he was appointed by the Indonesian government as the ambassador to the Netherlands, Holy See, and Afghanistan.
Early life
Djumhana was born in Cianjur, West Java, then part of the Dutch East Indies, on 23 February 1904. He studied at the Europeesche Lagere School and graduated in 1919. He continued his studies at the Hogere Burgerschool and at the Rechtschool, graduating from the latter in 1926.
Career
Dutch East Indies era
After graduated, Djumhana worked as a seconded employee in the district court of Bandung. He halted his job for some time to study at the Law Faculty of the Leiden University, receiving the title Mr. in 1931. He continued his career at the government office in Jatinegara in 1931 and as a mantripolitie in 1932. He was later appointed as the Asisten Wedana for Jatinegara from 1934 until 1937, as a Wedana for Cibadak in 1938, and finally as the Regent of Pandeglang from 1941 until 1945. In 1923, Djumhana joined the Jong Java organization as a commissioner. He retained the position until the merger of the organization to Indonesia Moeda in 1929.
Post-independence
After the independence of Indonesia, Djumhana became the Head of the Information Bureau of West Java. Sometime later, he was transferred as secretary for the police station in Purwokerto and as one of the deputies for the Committee for Civil Affairs. He was one of the delegates representing the Republic of Indonesia in the Renville Agreement.
Djumhana's appointment as the cabinet formateur of the State of Pasundan was due to the Dutch pressure to the Wali Negara of the State of Pasundan, Wiranatakusumah V. The pressure was due to the resignation of the previous prime minister, Adil Puradiredja. The Dutch failed to pressure the Parliament of Pasundan to reelect Adil as the prime minister. On 28 December 1948, Wiranatakusumah appointed Djumhana Wiriaatmadja, a non-party member of the parliament, as the cabinet formateur. Based on his program, Djumhana was able to obtain majority parliamentary backing for his cabinet. The Indonesian fraction approved the program but rejected to be given the position in the cabinet. . After the formation of the new cabinet, Djumhana headed to Jakarta to attend the conference. It turned out his program was rejected by the Dutch for being pro-Indonesian and the Dutch pressured Djumhana to change his program. Djumhana rejected the request, but he was willing to participate in the talks on Bangka Island with the Indonesian government that was arrested, along with four other members of the federal state. His first cabinet was dissolved following the arrest of some Pasundan officials on 14 January 1949. The arrest occurred due to the reluctance of Djumhana and Wiranatakusumah to change the program of the cabinet. Later on, the Parliament of Pasundan withdrew its support to the cabinet and four ministers from the cabinet resigned. Djumhana tried in vain for a week to rearrange his cabinet, and on 28 January 1949, his cabinet officially resigned.
Second cabinet
After the Dutch managed to force the resignation of the First Djumhana Cabinet on 28 January 1949, Djumhana was left with only two ministers. The only way in which Djumhana could form a new cabinet was by dropping his former program. His second cabinet program was to establish a sovereign and free federal Indonesia as soon as possible and form an interim government in which the Republic of Indonesia would take part. On 18 July 1949, Djumhana's second cabinet resigned after the National Front, a coalition of several political parties in the parliament, demanded the entire cabinet to resign and for the prime minister to form a new cabinet on a broader basis on 16 July 1949.
Third cabinet
Djumhana's third cabinet was formed on 18 July 1949. It was Djumhana's only cabinet that was formed without the intervention of the Dutch. He resigned as the prime minister after the formation of the United States of Indonesia on 27 December 1949. He was officially replaced by Anwar Tjokroaminoto on 11 January 1950.
Ambassador to the Netherlands, Holy See, and Afghanistan
After the return of Indonesia to a unitary state, Djumhana was appointed as the Assistant to the High Commissioner of Indonesia in Netherlands on 1 February 1950, and as the ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Holy See on 1 February 1952. At the end of the 1950s, Djumhana was appointed as the ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Afghanistan.
Death
At 12.30 on 20 January 1975, Djumhana died in Jakarta. His remains was buried at the Blok P in Kebayoran Baru.
