biography
| name: |
Tak van Poortvliet, Joannes Pieter Roetert
|
pronunciation:
[tak van pohrtfleet]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1839–1904)
|
| biography:
| Dutch liberal politician, born in Engelen, S Netherlands. He studied law in Leiden, then was employed successively in the Council of State and the secretariat of parliament, and entered parliament in 1870 in the liberal interest. He was twice minister of communications, trade, and industry (1877–9, 1891–4). As minister of internal affairs he proposed a controversial Franchise Bill, an amendment to the Constitution which gave suffrage rights to those who had no property qualifications but could read or write, replacing the existing much vaguer wording on qualifications for the suffrage. This split the debate into Takkianen (supporters of Tak and of the Bill) and Anti-Takkianen, a division across the party lines. The Anti-Takkianen won the day, causing the cabinet to resign. |
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