List of King's and Queen's Commissioners of Limburg

King's Commissioner of Limburg
Commissaris van de Koning van Limburg
Incumbent
Theo Bovens

since 8 January 2015
Appointer The Crown
Term length Six years, no term limit
Inaugural holder Charles de Brouckère
Formation 16 September 1815

The King's Commissioner of Limburg is the chairman of both the States of Limburg as well as the provincial executive.

In the Dutch province of Limburg, the King's Commissioner is usually called Gouverneur (governor), as in Belgium. Similarly, the Provinciehuis (Province Hall) in Maastricht is called Gouvernement (Governor's Residence). This local custom arose from the particular status of the current province in the nineteenth century.

In 1830, the whole of the province of Limburg, which at the time consisted of both the present Dutch and Belgian parts, joined in the Belgian Revolution, with the notable exception of the city of Maastricht. From then until 1839 Limburg was governed as part of Belgium. As per the 1839 Treaty of London, The Netherlands recognized Belgium's independence, but special provisions were made for Limburg (and Luxembourg). The province was divided into two, roughly taking river Meuse as the border, with most of the eastern half, although now an integral part of the Dutch territory, becoming a member of the German Confederacy as the "Duchy of Limburg" to appease Prussia, which had lost access to the Meuse after the Congress of Vienna. This peculiar arrangement, which excluded Maastricht and Venlo, lasted until the Confederation's dissolution in 1866.

The folklore custom to call the local King's Commissioner "Governor" dates from these times, and nowadays is used to underline the Limburgers' (self-)perceived otherness from "regular" Dutchmen.

List of Commissioners

Term Name Party
1815–1828 Charles de Brouckère Orangist
1828–1831 Maximilien Henri Ghislain, Baron de Beeckman
1831 Pierre André Servais Kerens (ad interim) Orangist
1831–1845 Johan Eberhard Paul Ernst Gericke van Herwijnen
1845–1846 Pieter Daniël Eugenius Macpherson
1846–1856 Eduardus Johannes Petrus van Meeuwen Liberal
1856–1874 Joseph van der Does de Willebois Moderate liberal
1874–1893 Eduard de Kuijper
1893–1918 Gustave Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Roman Catholic (conservative)
1918 Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck General League
1918–1936 Eduard van Hövell tot Westerflier General League / RKSP
1936–1941 Willem van Sonsbeeck RKSP
1941–1944 Max de Marchant et d'Ansembourg NSB
1944–1947 Willem van Sonsbeeck RKSP / KVP
1947–1964 François Joseph Marie Anne Hubert Houben KVP
1964–1978 Charles van Rooy KVP
1978–1990 Sjeng Kremers KVP, CDA
1990–1993 Emile Mastenbroek CDA
1993–2005 Berend-Jan van Voorst tot Voorst CDA
2005–2011 Léon Frissen CDA
2011– Theo Bovens CDA
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