Hermanus Johannes Lovink

Hermanus Johannes Lovink
Lovink, 1908
Born	(1866-01-10)10 January 1866 Terborg, Gelderland, Netherlands
Died	2 April 1938(1938-04-02) (aged 72) The Hague, Netherlands
Occupation(s)	Agriculturist, horticulturist, politician
Children	4, including Tony Lovink
Member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands
In office 7 November 1922 – 8 June 1937
Mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn
In office 1 May 1923 – 1 September 1933
Personal details
Political party	Christian Historical Union
Signature

Hermanus Johannes Lovink (10 January 1866 – 2 April 1938) was a Dutch agriculturist, horticulturist, and politician. The son of a gardener, Lovink took to agriculture and horticulture from a young age, becoming the supervisor of public lands in Zutphen in 1887. Building on this experience, he gained a leadership position with the Association for Wasteland Redevelopment, in which capacity he oversaw several land reclamation projects. After being appointed Director General of Agriculture by Johannes Christiaan de Marez Oyens in 1901, he expanded agricultural education and promoted agricultural expansion; he continued these programs in the Dutch East Indies after being made Director of the Department of Agriculture, Industry, and Trade by Alexander Idenburg in 1909.

Returning to the Netherlands in 1918 after a bout of ill health, Lovink turned to politics. As a member of the Christian Historical Union, he was elected to the House of Representatives on 7 November 1922; he served there for almost fifteen years and chaired several committees – including one that assessed the costs and benefits of the ongoing Zuiderzee Works. Concurrently, Lovink spent a decade as the mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn. He was also a member of the Dutch Horticultural Council [nl] and the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural and Forestry College in Wageningen.

Lovink, who was primarily self-taught, was recognized with two honourary doctorate degrees as well as membership in the Orders of the Netherlands Lion and the Orange-Nassau. He has lent his name to a wheat variety, several streets, as well as the H. J. Lovink Pumping Station. His son Tony Lovink was the last High Commissioner of the Crown in the Dutch East Indies.