sentences:  On 1 April 1842, King William II appointed him as the successor to Cornelis Felix van Maanen as Minister of Justice, and on 22 September 1843 as Minister of Finance.From 13 February 1849, he seated in the Second Chamber of the States General for the district of Amsterdam, until he succeeded Johan Rudolf Thorbecke as chairman of Council of Ministers in 1853.On 1 April 1856, King William II gave him the title of Baron, as a token of appreciation for his actions as minister of Foreign Affairs in the Crimean War, where he managed to uphold Dutch neutrality.