Simon Taco Land

Simon Taco Land (7 November 1845 – 7 October 1894) was a Dutch naval officer and politician. He was a member of the Dutch House of Representatives from the Den Helder electoral district from 1888 until his death in 1894, representing the Liberal Union.

Biography Simon Taco Land was born on 7 November 1845 in Franeker to Gosling Land and Antje Haitsma van der Meulen. He began attending the Royal Netherlands Naval College at Willemsoord in 1861, and graduated in 1867 as lieutenant in the Royal Netherlands Navy. As a naval officer, he participated in the Aceh War, for which he received the Military Order of William 4th class in 1874 and the Expedition Cross and the Aceh Medal in 1875. He was a Takkiaan, who supported efforts by Johannes Tak van Poortvliet to expand the electoral franchise, and in May 1894 he joined the Progressive Political Group led by Hendrik Goeman Borgesius.

In 1891, Land was refused a promotion by naval minister Hendrik Dyserinck, after Land had written a critical article and was accused by Dyserinck of spreading it among naval personnel. As a consequence, Land submitted a motion of no confidence in Dyserinck, which was successfully passed.

Simon Taco Land died on 7 October 1894 in The Hague.