Liesbeth den Uyl (1924–1990)

Liesbeth den Uyl, née van Vessem, was nicknamed Beppie as a child. She was born and raised in Amsterdam, and studied psychology at university before the outbreak of World War II. During the war, she worked at the publishing firm Querido, where she met her future husband, Joop (Johannes Marten) den Uyl. They married in 1944 and had seven children. He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 to 1977. Liesbeth was involved in many political, social, and cultural organizations, besides her duties as the Prime Minister's wife, and held several administrative positions. She wrote books, short stories, magazine articles, and a weekly column. After her husband's death in 1987, she published two volumes of autobiography, Beppie van Vessem and Ik ben wel gek maar niet goed (I'm Not Crazy But Good).