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Dirk Jan de Geer
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 10 August 1939 – 3 September 1940
Preceded by	Hendrikus Colijn
Succeeded by	Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office 8 March 1926 – 10 August 1929
Preceded by	Hendrik Colijn
Succeeded by	Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Born	14 December 1870 Groningen, Netherlands
Died	28 November 1960 Soest, Netherlands
Constituency	Schiedam
Political party	Christelijk-Historische Unie
Spouse	Maria Voorhoeve
Religion	Dutch Reformed

Jhr. Dirk Jan de Geer (born 14 December 1870 - died 28 November 1960) was a lawyer, conservative statesman and prime minister of The Netherlands (1926–1929, 1939–1940). He was disgraced for attempting to negotiate a peace settlement between the Kingdom and Nazi Germany in 1940.

Born in Groningen, he was a a descendant of the de Geer family painted by Rembrandt. After receiving his doctorate in law in 1895, De Geer worked as a journalist and acted as town councillor of Rotterdam (1901–1907). He served as a Christian Historical (CHU) member of Parliament.

De Geer was a stable and respected politician before the war. However he was not suited for the role of prime minister of a nation at war. When the Germans attacked the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, he fled the country three days later.

When in London, he continually tried to negotiate a separate peace between the Netherlands and the Third Reich. He damaged the Dutch government and the Dutch morale by openly stating that the war could never be won. Finally he was removed from office on the instigation of the iron-willed Queen Wilhelmina, and replaced by Gerbrandy.

Later on, he was sent with a diplomatic package to the Dutch East Indies, present day Indonesia. On a stop in Portugal he left, and returned to his family in the Netherlands with the permission of the Germans. This greatly angered Queen Wilhelmina, who called him a traitor and deserter to the Dutch cause. He later wrote a controversial leaflet with "instructions" for the people on how to work together with the Germans. Wilhelmina warned him that after the liberation, he would be put on trial if published.

Eventually he was accused and brought to trial. He was found guilty and stripped of all of his honorary titles. He died some 15 years later in Soest, bitter and still believing in his own innocence.