Jan Terlouw

Infobox_Politician
name = Jan Terlouw

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caption = Jan Terlouw in 2008
birth_date =Birth date and age|1931|11|15|df=y
birth_place =Kamperveen, Netherlands
office = Member of the Eerste Kamer
term_start = 1999
term_end = 2003
office2 = Queen's Commissioner in Gelderland
term_start2 = 1991
term_end2 = 1996
predecessor2 = Ad Oele
successor2 = Jan Kamminga
office3 = Political leader of D66
term_start3 = 1973
term_end3 = 1982
predecessor3 = Hans van Mierlo
successor3 = Maarten Engwirda
office4 = Minister of Economic Affairs
term_start4 = 1981
term_end4 = 1982
predecessor4 = Gijs van Aardenne
successor4 = Gijs van Aardenne
office5 = Member of the Tweede Kamer
term_start5 = 1971
term_end5 = 1981
party = D'66

Jan Cornelis Terlouw (born November 15, 1931) is a Dutch scientist, politician, and author.

Jan Terlouw was born in Kamperveen. He was the eldest son in his family, he has two brothers and two sisters and grew up in the Veluwe. After high school, Terlouw studied mathematics and physics at Utrecht University. After graduating, he worked as a physics researcher in the Netherlands, the United States, and Sweden. After working for thirteen years, he became a politician, joining the Dutch Tweede Kamer (the second chamber of the Dutch legislature) as a member of the Democraten 66 political party in 1967. Terlouw acted as party leader from 1973-1982. He was minister of Economic Affairs from 1981 to 1982 and Commissar of the Queen of Gelderland from 1991 to 1996, the year in which he retired. He joined the Dutch Eerste Kamer in 1999. He also wrote various children's books, notably "Winter in Wartime" (1976) and "How to Become King" (1978). Terlouw is currently married with four children.