Nicholas Balkema

Nicholas Balkema (7 April 1865 – 29 January 1954) was an American politician.

Balkema was of Dutch descent. He was born on 7 April 1865, in Gibbsville, Wisconsin, attended Sheboygan Falls High School, then moved to Newkirk, Iowa, in 1884. On 9 December 1886, he married a Newkirk native, Clara Van Rooyen, with whom he raised four daughters and three sons. He became a schoolteacher and later ran his own business as well as the post office. In 1894, Balkema moved to Sioux Center. He held local offices and executive positions for a time before pursuing statewide political office. These included service as a bank executive, school board member, and city councillor in Sioux Center. Between 1909 and 1921, Balkema represented District 49, which included Sioux County, in the Iowa Senate as a Republican. He died on 29 January 1954, aged 88.