Conrad Theodor "Coen" van Deventer (29 September 1857 – 27 September 1915) was a Dutch lawyer, an author about the Dutch East Indies and a member of parliament of the Netherlands. He became known as the spokesman of the Dutch Ethical Policy Movement. He lived at Surinamestraat 20, The Hague (1903–1915), former residence of John Ricus Couperus, his son writer Louis Couperus and the rest of his family (1884–1902).

Biography

Early career

Van Deventer was a son of Christiaan Julius van Deventer and Anne Marie Busken Huet. His uncle was the writer Conrad Busken Huet. He married Elisabeth Maria Louise Maas; they had no children. Van Deventer on the Historical Website of the Biographic Dictionary of the Netherlands – Retrieved 2013-01-30. Van Deventer attended the H.B.S. in Deventer and studied law at Leiden University. He achieved his doctorate in September 1879 on the thesis: "Zijn naar de grondwet onze koloniën delen van het rijk" ("are, according to the constitution, our colonies part of the Dutch empire"). 'Onderwijs' , Rotterdams Nieuwsblad, 22 September 1879 Retrieved 2013-01-30 On 20 August 1880 he was made available to the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies by the Ministry of Colonies to be appointed as civil service official. 'Koninklijke Besluiten' , in the Java-bode, 27 September 1880 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 With his wife Van Deventer travelled in September 1880 to Batavia by steamboat Prins Hendrik; 'Vertrokken passagiers van Amsterdam, 11 September 1880' , in the Java-bode, 12 October 1880– Retrieved 2013-01-30 he was appointed court clerk at the Raad van Justitie (Council of Justice) at Amboina in December 1880. 'Indische Nieuws, Batavia 5 november' , in Het Nieuws van de Dag: kleine courant, 9 December 1880 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 As early as 1881 Van Deventer was already seen by the public as an authority in the case of the issue of the economic position of the Dutch East Indies in relation to motherland the Netherlands. In lectures held during meetings of the "Indisch Genootschap" ("Indies Institute") his opinion on this matter was presented as very important. 'Indisch Genootschap', in De Locomotief, 1 December 1881 – Retrieved 2013-01-30

In June 1882 Van Deventer was appointed court clerk at the "Landraden" (land boards) of Amboina, Saparua and Wahoo; he was also appointed auditeur militair (a legal position) at the court-martial in Amboina. 'Indisch Nieuws' , in Het Nieuws van de Dag: kleine courant, 20 June 1882 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In March 1883 he was appointed member of the Council of Justice in Semarang 'Indisch Nieuws' in the Nieuws van de Dag: kleine courant, 6 March 1883 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 and that same year he wrote a series of articles in the Soerabaijasch Handelsblad, under the title Gedichten van F.L. Hemkes (poetry by F.L. Hemkes; Frederik Leonardus Hemkes was a Dutch poet, who lived in South-Africa (1854–1887) Profile of Hemkes on the website of Poetisch Liedgenootschap – Retrieved 2013-01-30). 'Gedichten van F.L. Hemkes' in het Soerabajasch Handelsblad, 2 January 1883 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 Van Deventer wrote in February 1884 an article in Het Indisch Weekblad voor het Rech (The Dutch Indies Journal of Law), called "De Indische Militairen en het Koninklijke Besluit van 13 Oktober 1882 nummer 26'" (The military in the Dutch East Indies and the royal order of 13 October 1882), in which he discussed the trial of a Buginese soldier in front of a civil (police) court instead of a military one. 'Persoverzicht' , in The Locomotief, 7 February 1884 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In April 1885 Van Deventer quit his job as a member of the Council of Justice in Semarang and was appointed lawyer and attorney at this Council of Justice. 'Uit Batavia' , in the Locomotief, 17 April 1885 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In this period of his life Van Deventer was also active as a second lieutenant in the schutterij. 'Benoemingen' , in the Java-bode, 6 July 1885 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 That same year, 1885, he quit his job at the Council of Justice and joined the legal practice of LLM B.R.W.A. baron Sloet van Hagensdorp and LLM M.H.C. van Oosterzee; he replaced mr. Van Oosterzee, who would return to the Netherlands. , in the Java-Bode, 16 Maart 1885 – Retrieved 2013-01-30

Career as a private lawyer

Van Deventer worked as a private lawyer from 1885 to 1888. In May 1888 he took a leave for Europe 'Ontslagen wegens vertrek' , in de Java-bode, 13 April 1888 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 and travelled with his wife by steamboat Prinses Amalia from Batavia to the Netherlands.'Vertrokken passagiers van Batavia' , in De Locomotief, 28 May 1888 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 Back in Europe he wrote a series of articles, called "De Wagner-feesten te Bayreuth" (the Wagner festivals in Bayreuth), which he visited for the newspaper De Locomotief; 'De Wagnerfeesten te Bayreuth. Geschreven voor de Locomotief', in De Locomotief, 11 October 12 October, 16 October 17 and 18 October 1888 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 in this period Van Deventer was a permanent employee of this newspaper. He returned to the Dutch Indies on 11 May 1889 by steamboat Sumatra. 'passagierslijst' , in the Algemeen Handelsblad, 11 May 1889 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 He resumed his lawyers practice and also became commissioner of the limited liability company "Hȏtel du Pavillon". 'Nederlands-Indië' , in the Java-bode, 18 June 1892 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In September 1892 he was appointed acting member of the Committee of Directors of the Nederlands-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (Dutch East Indian Railway Company). 'Nederlands-Indië' , in the Java-bode, 17 September 1892 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In July 1893 Van Deventer was promoted to the military rank of first lieutenant at the Schutterij in Semarang. 'Civiel Departement. Besluiten en benoemingen' , in De Tijd, 6 July 1893 – Retrieved 2013-01-30

He left for a second short stay in Europe in May 1894 and was, after his return, appointed member of the supervisory committee of the HBS in Semarang. 'Batavia, 11 April, in the Locomotief, 11 April 1896 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In the newspaper Locomotief he wrote an article called "Samarangsche bazar – eigen hulp" (Bazar of Samarang), in which he defended himself against accusations that the prospectus of this firm (Samarangsche bazar), made up by him, was not accurate. 'Samarangsche bazar' , in De Locomotief, 18 September 1896 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 He left the Dutch East Indies (permanently) in April 1897 by steamboat Koningin-Regentes; 'Vertrokken passagiers' , in De Locomotief, 30 April 1897 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 back in Europe he visited the Wagner festivals and wrote about "Wagneriana" in the Locomotief of 11 November and 16 December 1897. 'Wagneriana' , in the Locomotief, 11 November 1897 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In 1898 Van Deventer wrote several articles about the coronation celebrations in the Netherlands, where queen Wilhelmina was crowned, in the Locomotief. 'De Koninginneweek in Nederland' , in the Locomotief, 6 October 1898 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 He also wrote a series of four articles, called "Het Wilhelmus als Nederlands Volkslied" (the Wilhelmus as the Dutch national anthem), for the Locomotief that year 'Een nieuw Wilhelmus' , in De Locomotief, 10 September 1898 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 and gave in the Locomotief his perspective on the Zola trial. 'Prof. Quack over Jaures' , in De Locomotief, 18 March 1898 – Retrieved 2013-01-30

Early political career

In 1899 Van Deventer wrote a very influential article, called "Een Ereschuld" (a debt of honour) in the Dutch magazine "De Gids". In this article Van Deventer stated that the Netherlands had a dept of honor of nearly 190 million gulden opposite the Dutch East Indies and had to pay for this dept of honor. 'Meegevallen' , in the Algemeen Handelsblad, 17 September 1899 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 Van Deventer on the Parlementaire Documentatie Centrum Website – Retrieved 2013-01-30 When the Dutch East Indian budget was discussed in the House of Representatives a lot of attention was paid to Van Deventer's article, although not all members agreed with the content of the article. Indische begroting 1899, in the Locomotief, 20 November 1899 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 Van Deventer was appointed member of the editorial board of "The Gids" as of 1 January 1901. 'De Gids' , in the Locomotief, 11 December 1900 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 Over the next years until his death he would write numerous articles in this magazine. Database Nederlandse Letteren – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In June 1901 Van Deventer accepted his candidacy for the electoral association Schiedam (for the Free-thinking Democratic League), located the Schiedam, for the elections for the House of Representatives, but was not chosen. 'Goedgekeurd. Mr. C. Th. van Deventer' , in the Locomotief, 14 June 1901. – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In lectures Van Deventer showed himself a supporter for the installation of a Dutch East Indian House of Representatives in the Dutch East Indies. 'Mr. C. Th. van Deventer over een Kamer voor Nederlands-Indië' , in De Locomotief, 6 May 1901 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 In June 1902 he was appointed member of the "Algemeen Nederlands Verbond" (General Dutch Covenant) 'Algemeen Nederlands Verbond' , in the Nieuwe Tilburgse Courant, 19 June 1902 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 and wrote in het "Tijdschrift voor Nederlands-Indië" (Magazine for the Dutch East Indies) together with others, a concept colonial program; in this program the authors stated that the administrative power should lie more with the residents of the Dutch East Indies and that the government of the Netherlands should limit its interference to general government principles only. 'Een koloniaal program' , in the Leeuwarder Courant, 4 April 1902 – Retrieved 2013-01-30 It seems contradictory that he also signed the telegram, send to general J. B. van Heutsz, in which he was complemented with the submission of Panglima Polim (a local leader), which was achieved by military force, in Aceh. 'Generaal Van Heutz. Aan generaal Van Heutz en het Indische leger hulde!' , in Het Nieuws van de Dag: kleine courant, 10 September 1903 – Retrieved 2013-01-30