W. R. van Hoëvell, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

W. R. van Hoëvell

Dutch churchman, politician, anti-colonial reformer, writer

Date of Birth: 14-Jul-1812

Place of Birth: Deventer, Overijssel, Netherlands

Date of Death: 10-Feb-1879

Profession: judge, writer, politician

Nationality: Netherlands

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Wolter Robert van Hoëvell (14 July 1812 – 10 February 1879) was a Dutch minister, politician, reformer, and writer.
Born into nobility and trained in the Dutch Reformed Church, he worked for eleven years as a minister in the Dutch East Indies.
He led a Malay-speaking congregation, engaged in scholarly research and cultural activities, and became an outspoken critic of Dutch colonialism.
His activism culminated when he acted as one of the leaders of a short-lived protest in 1848.
During the event, a multi-ethnic group of Batavian inhabitants presented their grievances to the local government.
As a result of his leadership in the protest, van Hoëvell was forced to resign his position in the Indies. After his return to the Netherlands, he served as a member of parliament for the Dutch Liberal party from 1849 to 1862, and from 1862 until his death he was a member of the State Council.
He used his political position to continue critiquing the Dutch colonial system; nicknamed "chief of the colonial opposition", he was the first Dutch politician to do so eloquently and knowledgeably, and inspired writers such as Multatuli.