History: Persons: 15 Mayors Kolff

History: Persons: 15 Mayors Kolff

(From De Colve XVIII, 2013) Being present at the installation of Wouter Kolff (CBCB XVIIIp4, image) as mayor of Veenendaal in November 2012 I was asked by several guests how many of the Kolffs had been a mayor? I suspected, then, that this number was something like five. Later that evening, once I got home I got curious and went to check. I ended up counting 15 mayors Kolff, Wouter being the 15th. The overview below indicates whom of the Kolffs have been mayors. It is sorted ion the genealogical order.At Deil a full dynasty of Kolffs have been mayor. Often they were part of the civil society in other functions as well. The tragic fate of Willem marinus Kolff, taken away by the Germans to die later in a concentration camp is described further at this website. (Biographies: Persons: Deil: Willem Marinus). The same can be said about the mayors on the island of Wieringen. Here Louis Chalres Sr. was asked back to become mayor again to assist the interned German Crown Prins after WWI. His son succeeds him and will be mayor, after an intermission during WWII, for over thirty years. During his time Wieringen gets connected to the mainland of Holland by a dike, and is no longer an island. It will also be connected to Friesland by the Afsluitdijk. At the southern side of the island new land, named Wieringermeer, is gained from the sea (History: Persons: Twice Louis Charles).

On the island of Goeree-Overflakkee at Stad aan ’t Haringvliet, not far from Middelharnis, the town almost all living Kolffs have their roots, a number of generations Kolff are mayor. In these communities the family Kolff belong to the notable families. It maybe worth mentioning here that most of them have constantly been active in different functions – being paid or not-paid – for the benifit of the population.

Marius Kolff (CBCD XVIIIw4)
(text from article in De Colve XVIII, 2013, and the image is of Wouter Kolff, who was installed as Mayor of Veenendaal in November 2013)

15 mayors Kolff - Engels

Notes:

1. initially ‘maire’
2. dismissed by occupying forces and carried off
3. dismissed by occupying forces, later reappointed
4. succeeded by son in law
5. succeeded brother in law
6. mayor until deceased
* many titles can apply depending on the historical context (mayor, maire, burgomaster; the functions’ contents counts)