Jacob Maarsingh was a Dutch farmer and politician, born into an influential family from Stadskanaal. His family had built its wealth in peat extraction, a sector that played a major role in the regional economy of eastern Groningen in the early twentieth century. Maarsingh owned the Huis ter Marse estate, where he settled as a farmer.
In the 1930s, Maarsingh became involved with the National Socialist Movement (NSB), a political party that presented itself as authoritarian and strongly pro-German. He joined in 1933 and soon became an active member. His political career peaked in 1937, when he was elected to the Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) on behalf of the NSB. Within the party, he was seen as one of its more respectable figures, thanks to his social standing and dignified appearance.
During the German occupation, Maarsingh was appointed to a key administrative post. In 1940, NSB leader Anton Mussert named him “gemachtigde van den Leider” (“delegate of the Leader”) for the northern provinces. In this role, Maarsingh was responsible for implementing NSB policies at the regional level and for expanding the movement’s influence across Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe. He acted as a kind of political commissioner, tasked with ensuring loyalty to both the NSB and the German occupation authorities.
After the liberation in May 1945, Maarsingh was arrested for collaboration and interned in several camps, including Westerbork and Steenwijkerwold. He was later sentenced to three years and three months in prison, as well as the loss of his voting rights. Released in 1948, he returned to Stadskanaal.
Remarkably, Maarsingh was able to resume a relatively quiet life after serving his sentence. He returned to farming and continued to live at his old address. Although his past was known, he remained in the region until his death in 1958 without much public controversy. His case illustrates how some former NSB members were able to reintegrate into Dutch society after the war, despite their active involvement during the occupation.
