Norbert Schmelzer
Wilhelm Klaus Norbert "Norbert" Schmelzer was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal party and economist.
Schmelzer attended the Gymnasium Erasmianum in Rotterdam from June 1933 until July 1939 and applied at the Tilburg Catholic Economic University in July 1939 majoring in Economics. On 10 May 1940 Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands and the government fled to London to escape the German occupation. During the German occupation Schmelzer continued his study obtaining an Bachelor of Economics degree in June 1941 before graduating with an Master of Economics degree in September 1945. Schmelzer worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Economic Affairs from February 1947 until October 1956 for the department for Financial and Economic Policy from February 1947 until August 1951 and the department for European and International Policy from August 1951 until October 1956.
, Queen Juliana, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Minister of Foreign Affairs Norbert Schmelzer at Luxembourg Airport on 7 July 1971.
and Minister of Foreign Affairs Norbert Schmelzer during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 25 January 1973.
After the election of 1956 Schmelzer was appointed as State Secretary for the Interior in the Cabinet Drees III, taking office on 29 October 1956. The Cabinet Drees III fell on 11 December 1958 continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1958 when it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Beel II with Schmelzer continuing as State Secretary for the Interior, taking office on 22 December 1958. Schmelzer was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1959, taking office on 20 March 1959. Following the cabinet formation of 1959 Schmelzer was appointed as State Secretary for General Affairs in the Cabinet De Quay, taking office on 19 May 1959. The office of State Secretary for General Affairs was created specially for Schmelzer and was considered as a de facto Deputy Prime Minister. After the election of 1963 Schmelzer returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 2 July 1963. Following the cabinet formation of 1963 Schmelzer per her own request asked not to be considered for a cabinet post in the new cabinet, he was seen as a by the Catholic People's Party leadership and was considered as the favorite son to succeed Wim de Kort as the next Leader of the Catholic People's Party. The Cabinet De Quay was replaced by the Cabinet Marijnen on 24 July 1963 he continued serving in the House of Representatives as a frontbencher. In November 1963 the Leader of the Catholic People's Party and Parliamentary leader of the Catholic People's Party in the House of Representatives De Kort announced he was stepping down as Leader and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives, the Catholic People's Party leadership approached Schmelzer as his successor, Schmelzer accepted and became the Leader and Parliamentary leader, taking office on 7 December 1963. On 27 February 1965 the Cabinet Marijnen fell and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity and Schmelzer was appointed as Formateur. Following a failed cabinet formation attempt he approached former Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences Jo Cals as a candidate for Prime Minister, Cals accepted and was appointed as Formateur to form a new cabinet. The following cabinet formation of 1965 resulted in a coalition agreement between the Catholic People's Party, the Labour Party and the Anti-Revolutionary Party which formed the Cabinet Cals on 14 April 1965.
On 14 October 1966 Schmelzer proposed a motion in the House of Representatives that called for a stronger financial and economic policy to further reduce the deficit from the Cabinet Cals, Prime Minister Cals saw this as an indirect motion of no confidence from his own party against his cabinet and announced the resignation of the cabinet that same day, the crisis would eponymous be called the :nl:Nacht van Schmelzer|Night of Schmelzer. The Cabinet Cals continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1966 when it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Zijlstra on 22 November 1966.
For the election of 1967 Schmelzer served as Lijsttrekker. The Catholic People's Party suffered a small loss, losing 8 seats but retained its place as the largest party and now had 42 seats in the House of Representatives. The following cabinet formation of 1967 resulted in a coalition agreement between the Catholic People's Party, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the Anti-Revolutionary Party and the Christian Historical Union which formed the Cabinet De Jong on 5 April 1967. In February 1971 Schmelzer unexpectedly announced that he was stepping down as Leader and that he wouldn't stand for the election of 1971 but wanted to run for the to the Senate. Schmelzer was elected as a Member of Senate after the Senate election of 1971, he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the same day he was installed as a Member of Senate, taking office on 11 May 1971. Following the cabinet formation of 1971 Schmelzer was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, taking office on 6 July 1971. The Cabinet Biesheuvel I fell just one year later on 19 July 1972 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Biesheuvel II with Schmelzer continuing as Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking office on 9 August 1972. In September 1972 Schmelzer announced his retirement from national politics and that he wouldn't stand for the election of 1972. The Cabinet Biesheuvel II was replaced by the Cabinet Den Uyl following the cabinet formation of 1973 on 11 May 1973.
Schmelzer retired after spending 16 years in national politics and became active in the private sector and public sector and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards and served on several :nl:Staatscommissie|state commissions and councils on behalf of the government and served as an diplomat and lobbyist for several economic delegations on behalf of the government and the European Economic Community. Schmelzer was also a prolific composer, pianist and poet having written more than a dozen compositions and poems since 1973.
Schmelzer was known for his abilities as a debater and negotiator. Schmelzer continued to comment on political affairs until his death at the age of 87 and holds the distinction as the first State Secretary for the Interior and the first and only State Secretary for General Affairs.