Bertha "Betsy" Bakker-Nort was a Dutch lawyer and politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives for the Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) from 1922 to 1942.
Betsy Bakker-Nort in 1922
Bakker-Nort (standing, right) at the International Woman Suffrage Alliance conference held in June 1908 in Amsterdam
Bakker-Nort was one of seven women elected in the 1922 general election.
The Peace Palace in the Hague
Free-thinking Democratic League
The Free-thinking Democratic League was a progressive liberal political party in the Netherlands. Established in 1901, it played a relatively large role in Dutch politics, supplying one Prime Minister, Wim Schermerhorn. The League is a predecessor of two of the major Dutch political parties, the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the social democratic Labour Party (PvdA). The social liberal Democrats 66 also claims that it and the VDB are ideologically connected.
1922 poster created by the VDB. "Houdt Koers" means "Hold Firm". In the image the "Ship of State" avoids smashing on the rocks of revolution and reaction
1937 poster created by the VDB, declaring a vote for the VDB is "a vote for Freedom and Democracy".
