Jan Geersing

Jan Geersing was born in the village of Leutingewolde, Drenthe to a mother from Friesland and a father from Drenthe. He spoke West Frisian and Dutch from early childhood and studied Latin and Ancient Greek at the University of Groningen. In the early 1960s, he was a teacher of classical languages at Grotius College Heerlen, the only Protestant high school in Limburg, Netherlands. In 1966, he became a teacher of classical languages at the Leeuwarden Christian Gymnasium, {{ill|Christelijk Gymnasium Beyers Naudé|nl}}. In 1981, he became its vice principal.{{cite news|url=https://www.digibron.nl/viewer/collectie/Digibron/offset/0/zoekwoord/geersing/id/tag:RD.nl,19880721:newsml_9775981cc692faceb39b299f5fd6eb98 |title=Ferwerderadeel krijgt GPV-burgemeester|trans-title=Ferwerderadeel gets a GPV mayor|newspaper=Reformatorisch Dagblad|via=Digibron|date=21 July 1988|access-date=9 April 2021|language=nl|page=4}}

Geersing became politically active, initially alongside his career in education. He was chairman of the council in Ferwerderadeel. He also became chairman of the Reformed Political League (GPV) Friesland Provincial Contact Council, the body that connected local and provincial politics.

In 1978 and 1982, he was ranked 5th and 6th respectively on the provincial state elections list of the GPV in Friesland. In the 1978 elections, Gerrit Gerritsma, until then the only GPV Provincial Council Member in Friesland, was not re-elected. In 1982 the GPV member Pieter Cnossen became a one-man faction in the States. After Cnossen stepped down prematurely in 1984, the GPV candidates who had been above Geersing on the list renounced becoming parliament members, paving the way for Geersing to become a Member of the Provincial Council of Friesland.{{cite news|title=Het veldwerk van een Statenlid; Drs. Jan Geersing vindt behoud Fries heel belangrijk|trans-title=The fieldwork of a Provincial Council Member; Drs. Jan Geersing considers the preservation of Frisian very important"|first=Herman|last=Veenhof|newspaper=Nederlands Dagblad|date=13 February 1987|page=6|via=Delpher|access-date=10 April 2021|url=http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010562369:mpeg21:p006}}{{cite news|title=Positie kleine christelijke partijen wordt 'interessant'|trans-title=Position of small Christian parties becomes 'interesting'|newspaper=Nederlands Dagblad|date=20 March 1987|page=8|via=Delpher|access-date=10 April 2021|url=http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010562396:mpeg21:p008|first1=Wim|last1=Houtman|first2=Herman|last2=Veenhof}}

On August 1, 1988, Geersing became the Mayor of Ferwerderadeel. At that time there was only one additional GPV mayor in the Netherlands{{cite news|title=Personalia|newspaper=Trouw|date=21 July 1988|via=Delpher|access-date=10 April 2021|url=http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010825678:mpeg21:p002|page=2|number=13425|volume=46}} (Bert Groen, who was the mayor of Bunschoten). In Ferwerderadeel, Geersing became the first GPV mayor after 80 years of mayors of the Christian Democratic Appeal and its predecessors.{{cite news|title=Drs. Jan Geersing geïnstalleerd in Ferwerderadeel; Kritiek uit raad op procedure: 'Het Haagse mandje is goed lek'|newspaper=Leeuwarder Courant|date=5 August 1988|page=13|via=Delpher|access-date=11 April 2021|url=http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010566721:mpeg21:p013}} While being mayor of Ferwerderadeel, Geersing was also a longtime chairman of the Fryske Akademy member of the Elfstedentocht Commission,{{cite news|url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/1997/01/04/tribune-7337547-a866151 |title=Na elf jaar wordt vandaag opnieuw de Elfstedentocht verreden|trans-title=After eleven years, the Elfstedentocht will be held again today|date=4 January 1997|newspaper=NRC Handelsblad|url-access=subscription|access-date=9 April 2021|language=nl|first=Orkun|last=Akinci}} and chairman of the regional garbage processing plant. In 1998, the chain of office and hammer of the mayor were stolen were by an angry houseboat owner.{{cite news|newspaper=Reformatorisch Dagblad|date=2 September 1998|page=9|title=Friese burgemeester weigert nieuwe hamer|via=Digibron|url=https://www.digibron.nl/viewer/collectie/Digibron/id/tag:RD.nl,19980902:newsml_ae150e8e211cb9e70d4426c196fa7338}} In 2000, Geersing and his peers in Groningen and Friesland prepared for brothels leaving the cities and entering rural space.{{cite news|newspaper=Reformatorisch Dagblad|date=29 September 2000|page=11|title=Wachten op de eerste rechtszaak; Noordelijke gemeenten creatief in bordeelbeleid|url=https://www.digibron.nl/viewer/collectie/Digibron/id/tag:RD.nl,20000929:newsml_8af7f171084319b536a3515ca0fe9efe}} In August 2001 he retired as mayor of Ferwerderadeel.

Geersing was awarded a {{ill|Royal decoration (Netherlands)|lt=royal decoration|nl|Koninklijke onderscheiding}} and a pin of merit of the municipality of Ferwerderadiel.

In his retirement, Geesink edited Code: HC1, a book by Sijbren van der Velde on Dutch World War II resistance.{{cite news|title='De boel moat wol draaiende bliuwe'|newspaper=Nieuwsblad van Noordoost Friesland|page=5|url=https://www.dekrantvantoen.nl/vw/article.do?id=NOF-20201023-01005002|via=De Krant van Toen}}

Geersing died in Zuidhorn on 17 February 2021, aged 80.

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• [https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/results?query=Jan+Geersing+burgemeester+&page=1&coll=ddd Jan Geersing] at Delpher

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Category:20th-century Dutch politicians

Category:Mayors of places in the Netherlands

Category:1940 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:People from Noordenveld

Category:20th-century Dutch educators

Category:People from Westerkwartier (municipality)

Category:Members of the Provincial Council of Friesland

Category:Reformed Political League politicians

Category:Christian Union (Netherlands) politicians

Category:University of Groningen alumni

Category:People from Ferwerderadiel