Willem "Wim" Polak (14 September 1924 – 1 October 1999) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and economist.[1]
Polak was born to a Jewish merchant family in Amsterdam on 14 September 1924. His parents were murdered by the Nazis during the German Occupation of the Netherlands. After the Second World War, he worked as a journalist for Het Vrije Volk. Polak was appointed Secretary of State for local finances in Joop den Uyl's government. He worked towards improving the financial position of the larger Dutch cities. Subsequently, he became mayor of Amsterdam for a six-year period, where his challenges included numerous squatting cases as well as riots related to Queen Beatrix's coronation.
He died in 1999 at his home in Ilpendam.
Decorations
| Honours | ||||
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | Netherlands | 11 April 1978 | |
|
Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 1 June 1983 | |
References
- ^ "Polak, Willem (1924-1999)" (in Dutch). Huygens ING. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
External links
- Official
- (in Dutch) W. (Wim) Polak Parlement & Politiek
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1 denotes Acting Mayor – 2 denotes Ad Interim Mayor – 3 denotes Died in Office | ||
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