Former President of the European Commission (22 March 1972 – 1 March 1972)
Member State: Netherlands
Political Party: Socialists (PvdA)
Date of birth: 13 September 1908
Died: 30 June 1995

Mansholt returned to the Netherlands in 1936 from Dutch East India where he had worked on a tea plantation. At the national level he served as Minister of Agriculture, Fishery and Food Distribution. At the European level he was Vice-President of the Commission and Agricultural Commissioner from 1958 to 1972. Though he led the Commission for only less than a year, he is remembered as the one responsible for implementing the CAP. In addition, the Mansholt Plan prepared the way for future developments in European agriculture. Mansholt died on his farm in 1955.

The Mansholt Commission held office for less than a year. Two major events marked this mandate: the creation of the European Monetary Snake (24 April 1972) and the first EC enlargement (1 January 1973).