Berend-Jan van Voorst tot Voorst

Baron Berend-Jan Marie van Voorst tot Voorst (7 February 1944 – 6 November 2023) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist.

Van Voorst tot Voorst worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from July 1968 until September 1972 and as a diplomat for the Directorate-General for External Relations of the European Commission in Brussels from September 1972 until May 1985. Van Voorst tot Voorst worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Economic Affairs as Director-General of the department for Foreign Trade from May 1985 until September 1988. Van Voorst tot Voorst was appointed State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Lubbers II following the resignation of René van der Linden, taking office on 27 September 1988. Van Voorst tot Voorst was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1989, taking office on 14 September 1989. Following the cabinet formation of 1989 Van Voorst tot Voorst was appointed State Secretary for Defence in the Cabinet Lubbers III, taking office on 7 November 1989.

In June 1993 Van Voorst tot Voorst was nominated as Queen's Commissioner of Limburg, he resigned as a State Secretary on 1 June 1993 and was installed as Queen's Commissioner, serving from 1 July 1993 until 1 July 2005.

Personal life Berend-Jan van Voorst tot Voorst had his secondary education in Tilburg and studied law at the Catholic University of Nijmegen and politics as well as science at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

Decorations + Honours Ribbon bar Honour Country Date Comment 80px Commander of the Order of Leopold II Belgium 15 May 1989 80px Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 25 June 1993 80px Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Holy See 16 April 1996 Elevated from Knight (19 July 1989) 80px Grand Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown Luxembourg 12 December 1996 80px Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great Holy See 18 September 1998 80px Grand Cross of the Order pro Merito Melitensi Sovereign Military Order of Malta 1 January 2002 80px Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Netherlands 1 July 2005 80px Commander of the Legion of Honour France 25 November 2005