Frederik David Holleman

Frederik David Holleman
Frederik David Holleman, during his tenure as professor at Leiden University (1935-1939)
Born	(1887-05-11)11 May 1887 Potchefstroom, South African Republic
Died	22 January 1958(1958-01-22) (aged 70) Stellenbosch, Union of South Africa
Alma mater	Leiden University
Occupation	Professor, ethnologist, legal scholar

Frederik 'Frits' David Holleman (11 May 1887 – 22 January 1958) was a Dutch and South African academic, ethnologist, and jurist, best known for his research into the indigenous legal systems of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and South Africa.

Frederik Holleman was born in Potchefstroom in the South African Republic (now a part of South Africa) in 1887 to a Dutch father and South African mother. His family later moved to the Netherlands; and he went to school in Kampen (1901–07) before studying law at Leiden University (1907–11).

He received his doctorate in law from Leiden University in 1911, where he was supervised by Cornelis van Vollenhoven, a professor and legal scholar best known for his work on the legal systems the Dutch East Indies.

In 1912, Holleman completed the entrance exam for the Dutch Indies service and subsequently moved to the Dutch East Indies in the same year. Following in Van Vollenhoven's footsteps, Holleman developed an interest in adat law, the indigenous legal system used in the Dutch East Indies and beyond. By 1915 he was serving as president of the landsraad (colonial courts) of Tulungagung and Trenggalek. In this capacity, Holleman conducted research into the property, kinship, marriage, and inheritance laws of fifteen villages. During this time Holleman also contributed a chapter on Java in Van Vollenhoven's series Het Adatrecht van Nederlandsch-Indië.

In 1918, Holleman was transferred to Ambon where he acted in a similar capacity. He went on leave to Europe in 1922 during which time he published a book on the adat law of Ambon and nearby islands. He then returned to Ambon where he stayed until his appointment to the secretariat of the Governor-General in Java in 1924. In 1928, Holleman began to research property rights in Minahasa. At this time Holleman, along with fellow legal scholar Barend ter Haar, became one of the first vocal proponents of increased Dutch recognition of the indigenous legal systems of the Dutch East Indies, arguing that the relying on indigenous legal systems was a cheaper and more effective means of dispute resolution.