[1][2] Biesheuvel studied law at the Free University Amsterdam obtaining a Master of Laws degree and worked as a civil servant for the Provincial-executive of North Holland from September 1945 until January 1952 and as trade association executive for the Christian Farmers and Gardeners Association (CBTB) from January 1952 until July 1959 and as chairman from August 1956.

For the election of 1967 Biesheuvel served as Lijsttrekker but following a difficult cabinet formation failed to achieve a coalition and returned to the House of Representatives as Parliamentary leader taking office on 23 February 1967.

For the election of 1972 Biesheuvel served once again as Lijsttrekker but the following cabinet formation resulted in a coalition led by Labour Leader Joop den Uyl.

He holds the distinction as leading the last cabinet in which the prime minister was not from the largest party in the coalition, and his premiership is consistently considered both by scholars and the public to have been below average.

After completing his secondary education at local schools, he graduated in law at the Free University of Amsterdam in September 1945.

In 1952 Biesheuvel became general secretary of the Christian Farmers and Gardeners Association of the Netherlands (CBTB) and in 1959 chairman of that organisation.

Among other things, he was chairman of the supervisory board of the National Investment Bank, a member of the supervisory boards of OGEM and KLM, and chaired the working party on the Netherlands Antilles, the national advisory committee on the relationship between the electorate and policy-making, the Provisional Council for Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the Interministerial Coordinating Committee on North Sea Affairs (ICONA).