Gerard Helders

Gerard Helders
Birth:	9 March 1905 Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands
Death:	6 January 2013 Wassenaar, South Holland, The Netherlands
Age:	107 years, 303 days
Country:	NED
Centenarian

Gerardus Philippus "Gerard" Helders (9 March 1905 – 6 January 2013) was a Dutch politician and centenarian who was the oldest known living man in the Netherlands at the time of his death.

Biography

Helders was born in Rotterdam in 1905. He studied civil law at Leiden University from 1925 to 1929. Helders became part of the city council in Bandung and Batavia in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Helders was a prisoner of war from 1942 to 1945, as the colony was under Japanese control at the time. Helders returned to the Netherlands, and became the Minister of Colonial Affairs in 1957. From 1959 to 1975, he was a member of the Council of State.

Helders married Pieternella Meijir in 1930. They had five children. Pieternella died in 1982. Helders turned 100 in 2005, and succeeded 110-year old Cornelis Geurtz as the oldest living Dutchman on 21 August 2012. Helders died on 6 January 2013, aged 107. Arie Vermeulen then became the oldest living man in the Netherlands.

Gallery

Helders in 1957

References

• Zelden denk ik aan de dood NRC Handelsblad, 12 August 2011 (in Dutch)
• Bewogen beweging Municipality of Wassenaar, 15 March 2012 (in Dutch)
• Ex-minister Helders (107) overleden
• Gerardus Philippus Helders Geni
• Mr. G.Ph. (Gerard) Helders Parlement & Politiek (in Dutch)

Netherlands's Oldest Living Man Titleholders (V • E)

Jannes Reiling • Hendrikus van Horsen • Petrus Bartelen • Keimpe Nijdam • Jan Kip • Wilhelmus Kostering • Willem van der Hulst • Marinus Wolffensberger • Johannes Hesseling • Jacob Hazewinkel • Willem Wels • Andre Beekman • Watze Watzema • Henri van Dooren • Cornelis Bredijk • Huibert Prins • Hendrikus Verhoeven • Johannes van der Hoeven • Marcus Faasse • Gerrit van der Horst • Martin Hendrix • Hendrik Nessen • Pieter Zandee • Johannes Rijstenbil • Arthur Notte • Johannes Linning • Gerardus Boomaerts • Jan Nijenhuis • Dirk van der Kooij • Pieter Zaaijer • Albert Geerlings • Jan Machiel Reyskens • Cornelis Jansen • Hendrikus de Bijl • Johannes van Capel • Reinier Pelgrom • Jan de Winter • Frits Rijkens • Jan Pieter Bos • Frits Botterblom • Henri Timmermans • Joop Rosbach • Ko de Lavoir • Jan Voogt Pzn • Jan van der Giessen • Adrianus van der Vaart • Jos Wijnant • Cornelis Geurtz • Gerard Helders • Arie Vermeulen • Tjeerd Epema • Serop Mirzoyan • Floor van Cleemputte • Wim Hendriks • Jacob Berg • Dirk van der Noen • Jan Willem van de Kamp • Eelke Bakker • John Huang