32 Facts About Sartono

Sartono was an Indonesian politician and lawyer who served as the first speaker of the House of Representatives from 1950 until his resignation in 1960.

Sartono served as acting president several times in his capacity as speaker following the resignation of Mohammad Hatta.

Sartono unsuccessfully defended the party's leaders when they were arrested by the colonial government in 1929.

Sartono then helped found another party, Gerindo, which advocated for the creation of an Indonesian parliament.

In 1942, Japan invaded the colony and Sartono briefly left politics before returning as general-secretary of a Japan-founded labor organization, Putera, a year later.

Sartono served in several positions during the Japanese occupation period, including as a member of the Central Advisory Council and Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence.

Sartono would go on to serve as speaker throughout the entire liberal democracy period, being re-elected in August 1950, when the Provisional DPR was formed, and again in 1956, following the 1955 elections.

In 1962, Sartono accepted an offer by Sukarno to serve as the deputy chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council.

Sartono died in Jakarta, on 15 October 1968, and was buried at Astana Bibis Luhur, Surakarta.

Sartono was born in Wonogiri, near what is today Surakarta, on 5 August 1900.

Sartono's father, Raden Mas Martodikarjo, was a civil servant who was a descendant of Prince Mangkunegara II.

Sartono's mother was a noblewomen, who was a descendant of Prince Mangkunegara III.

Sartono spent three years in MULO, from 1913 until 1916, and after graduating, he left for Batavia.

In September 1922, Sartono left his job as a civil servant, and departed to the Netherlands, to study for a doctorate in law at Leiden University, along with his former classmate Iwa Koesoemasoemantri.

Sartono later participated in the founding of the Indonesian National Party at Bandung on 4 July 1927.

Sartono was not arrested, and instead he became one of Sukarno's defense lawyers during Sukarno's trials in Bandung.

In 1931, Sartono founded the Partindo party, after the disbanding of the PNI.

Sartono led Partindo until 1933, when the released Sukarno was elected the party chief and Sartono became his deputy.

Partindo was again disbanded in 1937, and Sartono further took part in the founding of another party, Gerindo, where he was deputy chief under Amir Syarifuddin.

Sartono remained a lawyer, successfully defending another nationalist Kasman Singodimedjo in a 1940 case.

Sartono was head of the organizational section of the Japan-founded labor organization Putera and a member of the Javanese Central Advisory Council, set up the occupation government.

Sartono was a member of the KNIP and was part of its leadership until October 1945, when the leadership was replaced by a new group of younger members.

Sartono lost the position in an election in April 1947, but was voted back in July 1949.

Sartono left the body in 1949 as he joined the People's Representative Council of the United States of Indonesia.

Sartono had been appointed as the head of a good offices mission to the State of East Indonesia in December 1948, but the mission was cancelled.

Sartono was appointed as formateur for the government cabinet on 28 March 1951 following the fall of the Natsir Cabinet, and he attempted to form a coalition government between the PNI and the Masyumi.

Sartono, who disagreed with the draft's inclusion, declared his resignation from speakership and walked out of the building, followed by his deputy Arudji Kartawinata and the PNI faction.

Still in March, Sartono secured a seat representing Central Java in the new People's Representative Council as a result of the 1955 election.

On 23 July 1959, following President Sukarno's 1959 Decree, and the return to the 1945 Constitution, Sartono was sworn again as the speaker of the further renewed DPR.

American scholar Daniel Lev wrote that Sartono's experience in the body "was a great disappointment to him".

Sartono eventually resigned from the DPA and left politics entirely in 1967.

Sartono died in Jakarta on 15 October 1968, and was buried in Surakarta.