Jozef Weidmann

Leonardus Josephus "Jozef" Weidmann (3 October 1899 – 15 September 1962) was a Dutch-Surinamese Catholic priest, politician and union leader. He is one of the founders of the Progressive Surinamese People's Party (PSV). Weidmann played a leading role in establishing universal suffrage in Suriname, and was the founder of , the oldest recognised trade union in Suriname.

Biography Weidmann was born on 3 October 1899 in Kerkrade, Netherlands. In 1925, he was ordained priest of the Catholic Church. He started to emphasise universal suffrage, because he was of the opinion that democracy was not possible without universal suffrage first. , a member of the PSV, attended the First Round Table Conference in The Hague on behalf of Suriname, In July 1948, the States General of the Netherlands voted to extend universal suffrage to Suriname.

Weidmann died on 15 September 1962 at the age of 62. On 1 April 1975, Weidmann was honoured with a statue created by . and a street in Rainville was named after Father Weidmann. In 1996, Wijntuin published Weidmann, grondlegger van het algemeen kiesrecht in Suriname, a biography about Weidmann and the struggle for universal suffrage.