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Olton van Genderen
Olton van Genderen
	Olton van Genderen (1975)
Deputy Prime Minister of Suriname
	In office; 24 December 1973 – 25 February 1980
Prime Minister	Henck Arron
Preceded by	Harry Radhakishun
Succeeded by	André Haakmat [nl]
Minister of the Interior
	In office; 28 December 1977 – 25 February 1980
Preceded by	office established
Succeeded by	Frank Leeflang
Chairman of the Estates of Suriname
	In office; 16 May 1967 – 1 September 1969
Preceded by	Jagernath Lachmon
Succeeded by	Clemens Rimkisoen Biswabitre
	In office; 15 December 1973 – 28 December 1973
Preceded by	Jagernath Lachmon
Succeeded by	Emile Wijntuin
Personal details
Born	Olton Willem van Genderen; 17 October 1921; Albina, Suriname
Died	9 November 1990 (aged 69); Paramaribo, Suriname
Political party	National Party of Suriname

Olton Willem van Genderen (17 October 1921 – 9 November 1990) was a Surinamese civil servant and politician. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of Suriname from 24 December 1973 until the coup d'état of 25 February 1980. He was one of the main negotiators for the Independence of Suriname.

Biography

Van Genderen was born on 17 October 1921 in Albina. He worked for the customs agency. In 1950s, he went to Rotterdam for four years, and became a licensed customs officer.^[1]

Van Genderen became active in the trade union and politics. He was given the honorary title Da Djendé (Ndyuka: Beautiful teacher).^[2] In 1958, he was first elected to the Estates of Suriname, and was re-elected five times.^[1] On 16 May 1967, he was elected Chairman of the Estates of Suriname, and served until 1 September 1969.^[3]

On 15 December 1973, he was re-elected as Chairman,^[4] however he resigned on 28 December,^[5] because on 24 December, he had been elected as Deputy Prime Minister of Suriname in the Arron cabinet. He also served as Minister of District Administration and Decentralisation.^[6]^[2]

The Arron government was in dialogue with the Dutch government about the Independence of Suriname, and van Genderen became one of the main negotiators.^[1] On 25 November 1975, Suriname became an independent country.^[7] In 1977, he was appointed Minister of the Interior^[1] which was the successor of Ministry of District Administration and Decentralisation.^[2]

On 25 February 1980, Desi Bouterse committed a coup d'état.^[8] Arron went into hiding, however van Genderen was captured.^[9] On 26 February, van Genderen and Minister Badrising announced the surrender of the government on television, and asked the population not to resist the military regime.^[10] On 28 February, Arron surrendered to the regime.^[9] Van Genderen was placed under house arrest until February 1981.^[11] On 19 June 1981, van Genderen was sentenced to four months imprisonment minus time served under house arrest, and a total fine of ƒ 55,000.^[12]

Van Genderen died on 9 November 1990, at the age of 69.^[1]

Honours and legacy

Suriname: Commander in the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star.^[13]^[14]
Netherlands: Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau (1967).^[15]
Venezuela: Knight in the Order of Francisco de Miranda.^[13]

In 2021, the Emmastraat in Albina was renamed Olton Willem van Genderen Boulevard in his honour.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Bij de 100ste geboortedag van Olton 'Da Djendé' van Genderen (1921-1990)". Parbode (in Dutch). 4 October 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Emmastraat heet voortaan Olton Willem van Genderen Boulevard". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Lijst van oud-voorzitters". National Assembly of Suriname (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Parlement van Suriname". De Volkskrant via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 18 December 1973. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Wijntuin wordt Statenvoorzitter". De Vrije Stem via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 28 December 1973.
^ "Wat gebeurde er in December in Suriname". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Onafhankelijkheid Suriname in 1975". parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Timeline: Suriname". BBC News. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b Peter Meel (2015). "Henck Arren en de staatsgreep van 25 februari 1980". OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis (in Dutch). p. 16. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Ontevredenheid over benoeming Bruma". Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). 28 February 1980. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Ex-premier Arron voorlopig vrij". Leeuwarder Courant via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 20 February 1981. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Paramaribo". Amigoe (in Dutch). 20 June 1981. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Olton Willem van Genderen". Olton Willem van Genderen Stichting. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Benoemingen in de Ereorde". Government of Suriname. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
^ "Koninklijke Onderscheidingen". De Tijd (in Dutch). 28 April 1967. Retrieved 23 December 2021.