Arthur Kool

Arthur Kool (21 February 1841 – 24 March 1914) was a Dutch soldier and politician who served as the Minister of War of the Netherlands in 1901.

Early life and education Kool was born in Maastricht on 21 February 1841, as the eldest of four children of Cornelia Johanna van der Hoeven (1819–1856) and Johan Arthur Kool (1816–1873), the chief engineer of the Aachen-Maastricht Railway Company, and as such, it was him who designed the Maastricht railway bridge. His mother died in 1856, at the age of 37, when Arthur was only 15.

Military and political career Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel (1787–1862), the young Arthur Kool opted for a military career, as did his younger brother, enrolling as an artillery cadet at the Royal Military Academy in 1855, aged 14. He went on to serve in both the fortress artillery and the horse artillery, eventually rising to the rank of 1st lieutenant in the military reconnaissance division of the General Staff. At that time, this post was one of the least desirable ministerial positions, and likewise, like many before him, Kool did not even last a year.

On 31 August 1898, he was appointed as an assistant in extraordinary service to Queen Wilhelmina, giving her lectures and lessons on military affairs and national defense, which concluded the education of the queen who went on to ascend the throne that same year, with Kool remaining her assistant until he died in 1914.

Death Kool died in The Hague on 24 March 1914, at the age of 73.

Decorations Commander in the Order of the Netherlands Lion Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Grand Cross in the Order of the House of Orange Officer of the French Legion of Honour Knight First Class of the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia