Willem Anne, Baron Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (6 January 1800, Doesburg, Gelderland – 12 December 1872, Voorst) [1] was a Dutch politician.
Belonging to a noble family, Schimmelpenninck was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands and Minister of Interior (1841–1846) [2] and Foreign minister (September-October 1843) under King William II, [3] who was a proponent of some reform in government. From 1847 to 1853 he was King's Commissioner of the province of Gelderland. [4]
He was at the time befriended with Thorbecke. [5] However, when Thorbecke had become the first Dutch Prime Minister, he considered Schimmelpenninck as a conservative unfit to remain King's Commissioner and fired him towards the end of his first cabinet (much against the king's wishes). [4] Their friendship ended with that. Afterwards Schimmelpenninck held high functions at the court and returned to the House of Representatives, of which in 1858 he was President. [3] Later he was as confidant of the king a member of the Senate of the Netherlands. [3]
As major of the schutterij, Schimmelpenninck was awarded the Military William Order on 7 February 1844. In 1846 he received the Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. The King of Württemberg awarded him the Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order.