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Cornelis Lely (1854-1929) was a Dutch civil engineer and statesman. He was the figure responsible for the enclosure and draining of the Zuiderzee by means of the Afsluitdijk, the result of a combination of his technical knowledge and administrative power.
From 1886 to 1891, he led the technical research team that explored the possibility of enclosing the Zuiderzee, which was approved by a State Commission. Lely was three times Minister of Transport and Water (1891-1894, 1897-1901, and 1913-1918) and exerted large influence in this function towards the implementation of his own plans.
Lelystad, capital of the Province of Flevoland, was named after him. A statue of Lely stands on the western point of the dam. It was sculpted by Mari Andriessen and dedicated on September 23, 1954.
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