Joseph Luns
Dutch politician and diplomat (1911–2002) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns (28 August 1911 – 17 July 2002) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP), now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), diplomat, and jurist. He served as Secretary General of NATO from 1 October 1971 until 25 June 1984.[1]
Joseph Luns | |
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5th Secretary General of NATO | |
In office 1 October 1971 – 25 June 1984 | |
Preceded by | Manlio Brosio |
Succeeded by | The Lord Carrington |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 13 October 1956 – 6 July 1971 | |
Prime Minister | See list
|
Preceded by | Johan Beyen |
Succeeded by | Norbert Schmelzer |
Member of the House of Representatives | |
In office 11 May 1971 – 1 October 1971 | |
In office 23 February 1967 – 5 April 1967 | |
In office 3 July 1956 – 3 October 1956 | |
Parliamentary group | Catholic People's Party |
Minister for Foreign Policy | |
In office 2 September 1952 – 13 October 1956 | |
Prime Minister | Willem Drees |
Preceded by | Eelco van Kleffens (1947) |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Joseph Antoine Marie Hubert Luns [Note] (1911-08-28)28 August 1911 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Died | 17 July 2002(2002-07-17) (aged 90) Brussels, Belgium |
Political party | Catholic People's Party (1945–1972) |
Other political affiliations |
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Height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Spouse |
Baroness Lia van Heemstra
(m. 1939; died 1990) |
Relations |
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Children | 2 |
Parent |
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Alma mater | |
Occupation |
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Signature | |
Military service | |
Branch/service | Royal Netherlands Navy |
Years of service |
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Rank | Warrant officer |
Unit | Netherlands Coastguard |
Battles/wars | Cold War |
Luns attended Saint Ignatius Gymnasium in Amsterdam from April 1924 until June 1930. He was conscripted in the Coastguard of the Royal Netherlands Navy serving as a warrant officer from June 1930 until July 1931. He applied at the University of Amsterdam in July 1931 majoring in law before transferring to the Leiden University in November 1932, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree in June 1933 and graduating with a Master of Laws degree in July 1937. He applied at the London School of Economics of the University of London in January 1938 for a postgraduate education in economics, obtaining a Bachelor of Economics degree in June 1938. He worked as a civil servant for the Diplomatic service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from October 1938 until September 1952 as an attaché in Bern, Switzerland, from December 1939 until April 1942, as an attaché in Lisbon, Portugal, from April 1942 until November 1943, as an attaché in London, England, from November 1943 until September 1949 and as chargé d'affaires at the United Nations in New York City from September 1949 until September 1952.
In September 1971 Luns was nominated as the next Secretary General of NATO. He resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the same day he was installed as secretary general, serving from 1 October 1971 to 25 June 1984. He retired after 31 years in national politics and became active in the public sector, where he was a diplomat and lobbyist for several economic delegations on behalf of the government and as an advocate for United States–European Union relations and European integration.
Luns was known for his abilities as a negotiator and debater. He continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until his retirement in 1996 after suffering a stroke. He died six years later at the age of 90, and holds the distinction as the longest-serving Secretary General of NATO (12 years, 268 days), the longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs (14 years, 266 days), the longest-serving government minister after World War II (18 years, 307 days).