Ivo Samkalden was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party and jurist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 22 January 1985.
Samkalden applied at the Leiden University in June 1930 majoring in Law and obtaining an Bachelor of Laws degree in July 1932 before graduating with an Master of Laws degree on 31 January 1936 and worked as a researcher at the Leiden University and later got a doctorate as an Doctor of Law on 11 March 1938. Samkalden worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Colonial Affairs in Batavia in the Dutch East Indies from September 1938 until April 1942. In April 1942 Samkalden was arrested and detained in the Japanese internment camp Batu Lintang. Samkalden was transferred to the five different internment camps during the Japanese occupation and was detained until September 1945. Following the end of World War II Samkalden moved to Surabaya but was arrested during the Indonesian National Revolution. Samkalden was released on 13 November 1945 and moved back to the Netherlands and worked as civil servant for the Ministry of Justice from September 1946 until June 1947.