Hendrik Jan (Hein) Rutten meergenaamd Roethof (23 November 1921, in Utrecht – 15 January 1996, in Utrecht) was a Dutch journalist and politician. He completed his secondary education at the Utrecht HBS. Roethof read Law of the Dutch East Indies at Utrecht University from 1940 to 1945, from which he received his PhD in 1951. Beside his work he was chairman of JOVD, the youth section of Dutch conservative-liberal party VVD. Because of his progressive political ideas he broke away from the VVD and in 1964 he joined the social-democratic PvdA.