Thorbecke

Thorbecke

  • Submitted By: selmaa
  • Date Submitted: 03/15/2009 8:28 AM
  • Category: Biographies
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Johan Rudolf Thorbecke was one of the most important Dutch politicians, because he made a constitution almost on his own. He was born in Zwolle on 14th of January in 1798, and died in his house in The Hague on 4th of June in 1872. He died, because he was ill. He was 74 years old when he died.

Thorbecke’s family was half-German. His father, Frederik Willem Thorbecke (he died in 1832), was for a long time unemployed, so the family was very poor. Later his father got a job as a tobacco trader, which Johan Rudolf took over after him. The mother of Thorbecke is Christine Regina Thorbecke.
Thorbecke was married to Adelheid Solger. (She died on 26th of March 1870)
They had four sons and two daughters. (They also had two sons, but they died at a very young age).

Thorbecke lived in Holland, but he also made a study trip in a foreign country.
This were the places he lived in:
- Zwolle, where he was born
- He lived in Amsterdam till 1806
- Then he lived in Zwolle again till 1820
- He made a study trip to Göttingen, from 1820 till 1823
- After the study trip, he went to live in Zwolle from 1823 till 1825
- After Zwolle, he went to Gent, he lived there from 1825 till 1830
- He also lived in Leiden, from 1830
- He also went to Belgium and Germany
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When Thorbecke was a child, he didn’t have a good life, because his family was very poor. The father of Thorbecke told his son his whole life that he had to finish his school and study at an university, and get a good job later.
And so he first studied laws, literature and theology at the University Atheneum Illustre in Amsterdam. (From May 1815 till September 1818).
Then he went to the Hogeschool in Leiden, and studied laws and literature, on 1 October 1817.

In his younger years, Thorbecke was a tobacco trader, just like his father. But after he graduated, he got jobs like a teacher/professor, and more jobs which have to do with politics.
This are some jobs he had:
- professor at the University in...