Frits Korthals Altes

His Excellency
Frits Korthals Altes
His Excellency Frits Korthals Altes
	Korthals Altes in 2001
President of the Senate
	In office; 11 March 1997 – 2 October 2001
Preceded by	Herman Tjeenk Willink
Succeeded by	Gerrit Braks
Parliamentary leader in the Senate
	In office; 13 June 1995 – 11 March 1997
Preceded by	David Luteijn
Succeeded by	Leendert Ginjaar
Parliamentary group	People's Party for ; Freedom and Democracy
Member of the House of Representatives
	In office; 14 September 1989 – 11 June 1991
Parliamentary group	People's Party for ; Freedom and Democracy
Minister of the Interior
	In office; 26 January 1987 – 3 February 1987 ; Ad interim
Prime Minister	Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by	Kees van Dijk
Succeeded by	Jan de Koning (Ad interim)
	In office; 20 February 1986 – 12 March 1986 ; Ad interim
Prime Minister	Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by	Koos Rietkerk
Succeeded by	Rudolf de Korte
Minister of Justice
	In office; 4 November 1982 – 7 November 1989
Prime Minister	Ruud Lubbers
Preceded by	Job de Ruiter
Succeeded by	Ernst Hirsch Ballin
Member of the Senate
	In office; 11 June 1991 – 2 October 2001
	In office; 10 June 1981 – 4 November 1982
Parliamentary group	People's Party for ; Freedom and Democracy
Chairman of the People's Party ; for Freedom and Democracy
	In office; 15 March 1975 – 22 May 1981
Leader	Hans Wiegel
Preceded by	Haya van Someren
Succeeded by	Jan Kamminga
Personal details
Born	Frederik Korthals Altes; 15 May 1931 (age 93); Amsterdam, Netherlands
Political party	People's Party for ; Freedom and Democracy ; (from 1956)
Spouses	; Titia Kist (m. 1965; div. 1985) ; Hendrika Matthijssen (m. 1985)
Children	3 sons
Residence(s)	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Alma mater	Leiden University ; (Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws)
Occupation	Politician · Jurist · Lawyer · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Editor · Author

Frederik "Frits" Korthals Altes (born 15 May 1931) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and jurist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 26 October 2001.

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Korthals Altes attended the Barlaeus Gymnasium in Amsterdam from June 1937 until July 1943 and applied at the Leiden University in June 1951 majoring in Law and obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree in June 1953 before graduating with a Master of Laws degree in July 1957. Korthals Altes worked as a lawyer in Rotterdam from August 1957 until November 1982. Korthals Altes served as Chairman of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy from 15 March 1975 until 22 May 1981. Korthals Altes was elected as a Member of the Senate after the Senate election of 1981, taking office on 10 June 1981. After the election of 1982 Korthals Altes was appointed as Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Lubbers I, taking office on 4 November 1982. Korthals Altes served as acting Minister of the Interior from 20 February 1986 until 12 March 1986 following the death of Koos Rietkerk. After the election of 1986 Korthals Altes continued as Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Lubbers II, taking office on 14 July 1986. Korthals Altes again served as acting Minister of the Interior from 26 January 1987 until 3 February 1987 during a medical leave of absence of Kees van Dijk until Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Jan de Koning took over as acting Minister of the Interior. Korthals Altes was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1986, taking office on 14 September 1989. The Cabinet Lubbers II was replaced by the Cabinet Lubbers III on 7 November 1989 and he continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a frontbencher.

In April 1991 Korthals Altes announced that he wanted to return to the Senate. After the Senate election of 1991 Korthals Altes was elected again as a Member of the Senate, he resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the day he was installed as a Member of the Senate, taking office on 11 June 1991 serving as a frontbencher chairing several parliamentary committees. Korthals Altes also 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 (Unilever, KPN, Randstad Holding, Arcadis, Carnegie Foundation, Stichting INGKA Foundation, and the Institute of International Relations Clingendael) and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government. Following the Senate election of 1991 Korthals Altes was selected as Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the Senate, taking office on 13 June 1995. Korthals Altes was nominated as President of the Senate following the appointed of Herman Tjeenk Willink as Vice-President of the Council of State, taking office on 11 March 1997. In September 2001 Korthals Altes announced his retirement from national politics. He resigned as President of the Senate and a Member of the Senate on 2 October 2001.

With his resignation from the senate in 2001, he was nominated as Minister of State. Earlier in 1997, the VVD gave him an honorary membership. The Dutch Queen nominated Korthals Altes, alongside Rein Jan Hoekstra (CDA), as informateur, after a first round of talks between the CDA and Labour Party (PvdA) to form a new cabinet failed. The second Balkenende cabinet between the VVD, CDA and D66, was installed in May 2003.

Korthals Altes chaired a commission in 2007 that looked into the Dutch election process. The final report of the commission advised the government to abandon electronic voting machines, as they lack a paper trail.

Appointments

Netherlands: Minister of State with style of Excellency (26 October 2001)

National

Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (20 November 1989)
Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau (13 May 1981)

Foreign

Belgium: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (6 July 1986)
France:
- Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (28 February 2000)
- Grand Officer of the Order of Legion of Honour (6 February 1984)
Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (30 May 1985)
Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (12 May 2000)
Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown (15 November 1983)
Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (2 October 1989)
Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (1 December 1998)