Willem "Wim" Polak (14 September 1924 – 1 October 1999) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and economist.
Biography Polak was born to a Jewish merchant family in Amsterdam on 14 September 1924. His parents were murdered by the Nazis during the German Occupation of the Netherlands. After the Second World War, he worked as a journalist for Het Vrije Volk. Polak was appointed Secretary of State for local finances in Joop den Uyl's government. He worked towards improving the financial position of the larger Dutch cities. Subsequently, he became mayor of Amsterdam for a six-year period, where his challenges included numerous squatting cases as well as riots related to Queen Beatrix's coronation.
He died in 1999 at his home in Ilpendam.
Decorations Honours Ribbon bar Honour Country Date Comment Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Netherlands 11 April 1978 Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 1 June 1983
References
External links
W. (Wim) Polak Parlement & Politiek