Gerrit Braks

Gerardus Johannes Maria Braks (born 23 May 1933 in Odiliapeel) is a retired Dutch politician.

He was a member of the Catholic People's Party from 1975 until 1980 when this party became part of the Christian Democratic Appeal. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands in 1977–1980, 1981–1982, 1986 and 1989. He was minister of farming and fishery in 1980–1981, and 1982–1989, and was in this function during the Chernobyl disaster. In 1989 he was minister of education and sciences and he was minister of farming, nature management and fishery in 1989–1990. He was a member of the Senate of the Netherlands from 11 June 1991 until 10 June 2003. And as such he was parliamentary group leader in the senate from 18 June 1999 until 2 October 2001 when he became president of the Senate until 2003.

From 11 March 1991 until 1 April 1996 he was chairman of the Katholieke Radio Omroep. On 1 September 2007 he was named acting mayor of Eindhoven until after a referendum the next mayor was named by the crown on 7 April 2008.

He is a commander in the Order of the Netherlands Lion and a knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. He also received the Jacoba van Beierenprijs in 1990, an honorary badge from the Wageningen University and Research Centre in 1993 and is an honorary citizen of the Dutch province of North Brabant. The Spanish king made him Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

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