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Congressional Gold Medal.com |
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Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
Queen Beatrix I
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix I of the Netherlands Queen Beatrix I of The Netherlands born Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard
b. Soestdijk, Utrecht, Netherlands, 31 January 1938
Monday, 22 March 1982
Joint Resolution To provide for the awarding of a special gold medal to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix in recognition of the 1982 bicentennial anniversary of diplomatic and trade relations between the Netherlands and the United States. Whereas Dutch antecedents in the United States go back to the early 1600's when a few doughty Dutch began to explore and settle Manhattan Island and the Hudson River Valley; Whereas the Netherlands became the first nation in 1776 to salute the flag of the new American Nation; Whereas John Adams, first United States Minister to the Netherlands and second President of the United States, signed a mutually advantageous Treaty to Amity and Commerce with the Netherlands in the decisive year of 1782; Whereas the Netherlands was the source of a series of needed loans starting in 1782, which eventually totaled the equivalent of $12 million; Whereas it is with the Netherlands that the United States has its longest peaceful and unbroken relationship; Whereas the year 1982 will mark the two hundredth anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations with the Netherlands; Whereas these two centuries of official relations have been based on exemplary friendship, mutual trust and respect, and a perceived interest in practical forms of cooperation; Whereas the thirty-six years of vigilant peace since the end of World War II have seen a remarkable growth in the United States-Dutch relationship; and Whereas in keeping with the spirit and content of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, the United States and the Netherlands have become active partners in defense and commerce: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) the President of the United States is authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, a gold medal of appropriate design in recognition of the two hundredth anniversary, in 1982, of the establishment of diplomatic and commercial relations between the Governments of the United States and the Netherlands. For such purpose, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to cause to be struck a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. There is authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $22,000 after November 1, 1981, to carry out the provisions of this subsection. (b) The Secretary of the Treasury may cause duplicated in bronze of such medal to be coined and sold under such regulations as he may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery overhead expenses, and the gold medal. The appropriation used to carry out the provisions of this subsection (a) shall be reimbursed out of the proceeds of such sales. (c) The medals provided for in this section are national medals for the purpose of section 3551 of the Revised Statutes (31 U.S.C. 368).
96 Stat. 18-19
Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of Orange-Nassau (born January 31, 1938) is the Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne in 1980. Beatrix is the daughter of Juliana and Bernhard von Lippe-Biesterfeld. When Beatrix was a young girl, the Dutch royal family fled the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II, moving to Great Britain in May 1940 and then to Ottawa, Canada. They returned home in 1945. In Canada, Princess Beatrix had attended nursery and primary school. On her return to the Netherlands, she continued her primary education at The Workshop (De Werkplaats), Kees Boeke's progressive school in Bilthoven. In April 1950, Princess Beatrix entered the Incrementum, part of Baarns Lyceum, where she passed her school-leaving examinations in arts subjects and classics in 1956. On January 31, 1956, Princess Beatrix celebrated her 18th birthday. From that date, under the Constitution of the Netherlands, she was entitled to assume the royal prerogative. At that time, her mother installed her in the Council of State. Beatrix began her university studies the same year, at Leiden University. In her first years at university, she attended lectures in sociology, jurisprudence, economics, parliamentary history and constitutional law. In the course of her studies she also attended lectures on the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international affairs, international law, history and European law. While at university, the Princess visited various European and international organizations in Geneva, Strasbourg, Paris, and Brussels. She was also an active member of the Leiden Women Students' Association. In the summer of 1959, she passed her preliminary examination in law, and she obtained her law degree in July 1961. On March 10, 1966, she married the diplomat Claus von Amsberg. Initially, there was quite some opposition to the marriage. With fresh memories of the Second World War, a part of the Dutch people didn't appreciate a German prince. In fact, Claus became one of the most popular members of the Dutch monarchy. On April 30, 1980, Beatrix became Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands when her mother abdicated. She exercises her function with more formality than Queen Juliana. She has a lot of supporters because of her professionalism, but during the 1990s criticism increased. She has been a long-time member of the Club of Rome. Beatrix has three sons: Prince Willem-Alexander (born 1967) Prince Johan-Friso (born 1968) Prince Constantijn (born 1969) On October 6, 2002, her husband Prince Claus died after a long illness.
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