Cornelis Lely
Cornelis Lely (Template:IPA; 23 September 1854 – 22 January 1929) was a Dutch politician of the Liberal Union and civil engineer who was Minister of Water Management and Governor of Suriname. The designer of Afsluitdijk, the largest dam and causeway at its time of construction, in 1932, he oversaw the Zuiderzee Works as Minister, turning the Zuiderzee into a lake and making possible the conversion of a vast area of former seabed into dry land. His plan deeply transposed and influenced the current geography of the Netherlands.<ref name="Jansma">Template:Cite book</ref> Lelystad, the capital of the province of Flevoland, is named after him.
Early life
Cornelis Lely was born on 23 September 1854 in Amsterdam, son of an oilseed trader. Lely went to the Hogere Burgerschool (HBS). He later studied at the Polytechnic School of Delft and graduated as civil engineer in 1875.<ref>H. W. Lintsen, "Cornelis Lely (1854-1929)", Geschiedenis van de techniek in Nederland, 1995. Retrieved 24 July 2016.</ref>
Career outline
Between 1886 and 1891, Lely led the technical research team that explored the possibility, later approved by a State Commission, of enclosing the Zuiderzee. The Dutch parliament passed the law creating the Zuiderzee Works on 14 June 1918, using Lely's plan. He served three times as Minister of Transport and Water Management (in 1891–1894, 1897–1901, and 1913–1918) and in this role was hugely influential in advocating the implementation of his own plans.<ref name="Blackwell Encyclopedia">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> The scheme was finally approved and realised after severe flooding along the shores of the Zuiderzee in 1916.
In 1898 as minister he implemented a law on local railroads and tramways, which played a significant role in the development of the Dutch countryside.
In 1895 Lely became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lely was governor of Suriname from 1902 to 1905.<ref name="Blackwell Encyclopedia" /> In Suriname, he achieved the initiation and construction of the Lawa Railway from Paramaribo to Benzdorp.
Remembrance
The city of Lelystad, situated in the Eastern Flevoland polder and capital of Flevoland province, was named after him. The flags of the province and of the city are both adorned with a white fleur-de-lys to note his contribution.
In the city of Amsterdam the "Cornelis Lelylaan", a major thoroughfare, is named after him and the Amsterdam Lelylaan station, one of the city's main railway stations, is situated on this road.
In 1905, the Surinamese village of Kofi Djompo was renamed Lelydorp in his honour; Lely having led the construction of a new railway from Paramaribo that ran through the area.<ref name="Briggs2015">Template:Cite book</ref> Most of the railway has now gone, but Lelydorp survives and is now the capital of Wanica District. It lies on the road from Paramaribo to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport.
A statue of Lely stands on the western point of the Afsluitdijk. It was sculpted by Mari Andriessen and dedicated on 23 September 1954, the 100th anniversary of Lely's birth. A replica of this statue stands in the center of Lelystad, on a Template:Convert tower of basalt blocks, designed by Template:Ill. In Lelystad's city hall is a statue of Lely made by Piet Esser.
Honours and decorations
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | Netherlands | 31 August 1904 |
| University | Field | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institute of Technology | Hydraulic engineering | Netherlands | 8 January 1907 |
References
External links
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- Template:In lang Dr. C. Lely (liberaal) Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal
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Template:Ministers of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands Template:Ministers of Transport and Water Management of the Netherlands Template:Cort van der Linden cabinet Template:Pierson cabinet Template:Van Tienhoven cabinet Template:Authority control
- 1854 births
- 1929 deaths
- Canal engineers
- Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Delft University of Technology alumni
- Dutch civil engineers
- Dutch technology writers
- Environmental engineers
- Governors of Suriname
- Hydraulic engineers
- Irrigation engineers
- Liberal State Party politicians
- Liberal Union (Netherlands) politicians
- Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands)
- Members of the Provincial Council of South Holland
- Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Members of the Senate (Netherlands)
- Ministers of economic affairs of the Netherlands
- Ministers of transport and water management of the Netherlands
- Municipal councillors of The Hague
- Politicians from Amsterdam
- Technical writers
- Viaduct engineers
- Water resource management in the Netherlands
- Zuiderzee Works
- 19th-century Dutch civil servants
- 19th-century Dutch engineers
- 19th-century Dutch male writers
- 19th-century Dutch politicians
- 20th-century Dutch civil servants
- 20th-century Dutch engineers
- 20th-century Dutch male writers
- 20th-century Dutch politicians
- Engineers from Amsterdam