Soetardjo Kartohadikoesoemo

Soetardjo Kartohadikusumo (22 October 1890 – 20 December 1976) was an Indonesian politician who served as the first Governor of West Java in 1945. A former member of the Volksraad, he was also renowned for the 1936 Soetardjo Petition.

Early life and education Soetardjo was born on 22 October 1890 in the village of Kunduran, within what is today Blora Regency. He was the sixth of eight siblings. His father Kartoredjo was a district chief in Tuban. During this job, he attended the Government School (Bestuurschool) in Batavia between 1919 and 1921. By 1924, Soetardjo had been promoted to the district chief of Sambong in Blora, and by 1929 he was Vicegerent of Gresik.

During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Soetardjo was appointed in 1943 as a resident of the Jakarta area, and he was also appointed to the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK). Further, in 1945, he also became a member of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence. Soetardjo was a proponent of the Greater Indonesia concept during his time at BPUPK. Aside from his governorship, he served as deputy chairman of the Central Indonesian National Committee, and was also chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross between 1946 and 1948.

He later joined the Provisional People's Representative Council after the conclusion of the revolution. Later, he was appointed to the Supreme Advisory Council, becoming its chairman. He died on 20 December 1976 in Jakarta.