SCHERMERHORN, WILLEM

(1894–1977)

Politician. After study ing engineering, Schermerhorn was appointed professor of geodesy at the Polytechnic School (now University) of Delft. He introduced photogrammetry from the air in the Netherlands. After World War II, he became a member of the new Labor Party, the Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA). Schermerhorn was the prime minister of the first postwar cabinet of the national government “for reconstruction and renewal” from June 1945 until July 1946. In 1946–1947, he was a member of the general committee that negotiated with Sukarno and other Indonesian leaders on independence. In 1948, he was elected to Parliament, then served as a member of the First Chamber from 1951 until 1965.