List of colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast

This article lists the colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast. During the Dutch presence on the Gold Coast, which lasted from 1598 to 1872, the title of the head of the colonial government changed several times:[1]

List

Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.

Direct Dutch rule (1612–1621)

Before the establishment of the Dutch West India Company on 3 June 1621, Dutch traders nominally were at the direct control of the Dutch government. Initially, the regulation of trade was left to the traders themselves, but after the building of Fort Nassau at Mouri in 1612, a general was installed to administrate the new colony.

Name Title Took Office Left Office Notes
Jacob Adriaensz Clantius General of the Coast 1612 1614
A.J. Roest General of the Coast 1614 ?
Arent Jacobzen van Amersfoort General of the Coast ? ?

Dutch West India Company rule (1621–1791)

Name Title Took Office Left Office Notes
Adriaen Jacobzoon Director-General 1624 1629 Based at Fort Nassau, Mouri
Nikolaas van Ypren Director-General 1629 18 July 1639 Based at Fort George, Elmina, from 1637
Arend Jacobszoon Montfort Director-General 18 July 1639 6 January 1641
Jacob Ruyghaver Director-General 6 January 1641 18 December 1645 1st term
Jacob van der Well Director-General 18 December 1645 9 April 1650
Hendrik Doedens Director-General 9 April 1650 11 June 1650
Arent Cocq Governor 11 June 1650 15 March 1651
Jacob Ruyghaver Director-General 15 March 1651 24 January 1656 2nd term
Johannes van Valkenburgh Director-General 24 January 1656 27 April 1659 1st term
Casper van Heussen Director-General 27 April 1659 7 April 1662
Dirck Wilré Director-General 7 April 1662 23 December 1662 1st term
Johannes van Valkenburgh Director-General 23 December 1662 2 June 1667 2nd term
Huybert van Ongerdonk Governor 2 June 1667 12 December 1668
Dirck Wilré Director-General 12 December 1668 12 June 1675 2nd term
Johan Root Director-General 12 June 1675 13 September 1676
Abraham Meermans Director-General 13 September 1676 26 March 1680
Daniël Verhoutert Director-General 26 March 1680 1 August 1683
Thomas Ernsthuis Director-General 1 August 1683 15 July 1685
Nikolas de Sweerts Director-General 15 July 1685 29 January 1690
Joël Smits Director-General 29 January 1690 25 March 1664
Jan Staphorst Director-General 25 March 1664 9 June 1696
Jan van Sevenhuysen Director-General 23 December 1662 9 June 1696
Willem de la Palma Director-General 9 June 1696 5 November 1705
Pieter Nuyts Director-General 5 November 1705 10 October 1708
Henrikus van Weessel Governor 10 October 1708 14 August 1709
Adriaan Schoonheidt Director-General 14 August 1709 16 April 1711
Hieronimus Haring Director-General 16 April 1711 11 June 1716
Robberts Abraham Engelgraef Director-General 11 June 1716 9 April 1718
Willem Butler Director-General 9 April 1718 14 October 1722
Abraham Houtman Director-General 14 October 1722 28 May 1723
Mattheus de Kraane Governor 28 May 1723 14 December 1723
Pieter Valkenier Director-General 14 December 1723 11 March 1727
Robert Norris Director-General 11 March 1727 6 March 1730
Jan Pranger Director-General 6 March 1730 13 March 1734
Antonius van Overbeke Director-General 13 March 1734 21 February 1736
Martinus François des Bordes Director-General 15 October 1736 16 March 1740
François Barbrius Governor 16 March 1740 7 March 1741
Baron Jacob de Petersen Director-General 8 March 1741 11 April 1747
Jan van Voorst Director-General 11 April 1747 14 July 1754
Nicolaas Mattheus van der Noot de Gietere Director-General 14 July 1754 24 October 1755
Roelof Ulzen Governor 24 October 1755 16 January 1758
Lambert Jacob van Tets Director-General 16 January 1758 12 March 1759
Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper President of the Council 13 March 1759 2 March 1760 1st Term
David Pieter Erasmi Director-General 2 March 1760 11 July 1763
Hendrick Walmbeeck Governor 11 June 1763 31 August 1764
Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper Director-General 11 September 1764 8 June 1767 2nd Term
Pieter Woortman President of the Council 8 June 1767 10 June 1769
Pieter Woortman Director-General 10 June 1769 11 April 1780
Jacobus van der Puye President of the Council 10 May 1780 30 December 1780
Pieter Volkmar Director-General 30 December 1780 12 March 1784
Gilles Servaas Gallé President of the Council 15 March 1784 14 February 1785 1st Term
Adolph Thierens Director-General 14 February 1785 26 May 1786
Gilles Servaas Gallé President of the Council 2 June 1786 24 August 1787 2nd Term
Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp President of the Council 8 September 1788 19 March 1790 1st Term
Jacobus de Veer Director-General 19 March 1790 31 December 1791

Direct Dutch rule (1792–1872)

The Dutch West India Company was dissolved in 1791, and its colonies reverted to the rule of the States-General of the Dutch Republic on 1 January 1792. The last Director-General installed by the Dutch West India Company, Jacobus de Veer, became the first Director-General under the direct authority of the Dutch Republic. The Dutch Republic was succeeded by the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland, which all inherited the rule over the colony.

Although the Kingdom of Holland was incorporated into the First French Empire, the colony on the Gold Coast was never occupied by either France or Great-Britain.[2] Dutch rule continued under the Kingdom of the Netherlands proclaimed in 1815, until the cession of the possessions on the Gold Coast to the United Kingdom in 1872.

Tenure Incumbent Notes
19 March 1790 to 23 March 1794Jacobus de Veer, Director-General
26 May 1794 to 10 January 1795Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp, President of the Council2nd Term
10 January 1795 to 3 June 1796Otto Arnoldus Duim, Governor
10 August 1796 to 1 May 1798Gerhardus Hubertus van Hamel, Director-General
8 May 1798 to 1801Cornelius Ludewich Bartels, Director-General
1801 to 28 April 1804Cornelius Ludewich Bartels, Governor-General
28 April 1804 to 15 June 1805Izaak de Roever, Acting Governor-General
16 June 1805 to 21 July 1807Pieter Linthorst, Governor-General
21 July 1807 to 11 August 1808Johannes Petrus Hoogenboom, Acting Governor-General
12 August 1808 to 23 February 1810Jan Frederik Koning, Acting Governor-General
23 February 1810 to 1 March 1816Abraham de Veer,Commandant-General
1 March 1816 to 22 April 1818Herman Willem Daendels, Governor-General
22 April 1818 to 10 January 1820Frantz Christian Eberhard Oldenborg, Governor-General
10 January 1820 to 27 July 1821Johannes Oosthout, Commander
27 July 1821 to 11 January 1823Frederick Frans Ludewich Ulrich Last, acting Commander1st Term
11 January 1823 to 6 May 1823Librecht Jan Temminck, acting Commander
6 May 1823 to 14 May 1824Willem Poolman, Commander
14 May 1824 to 25 December 1824Hendrik Adriaan Mouwe, Jr., acting Commander
25 December 1824 to 2 January 1825Johan David Carel Pagenstecher, acting Commander
2 January 1825 to 12 November 1826Frederick Frans Ludewich Ulrich Last, acting Commander2nd Term
12 November 1826 to 4 October 1828Jacobus van der Breggen Paauw, acting Commander
4 October 1828 to 17 April 1833Frederick Frans Ludewich Ulrich Last, Commander3rd Term
17 April 1833 to 17 May 1833Jan Thieleman Jacobus Cremer, acting Commander
17 May 1833 to 2 February 1834Eduard Daniel Leopold van Ingen, acting Commander
2 February 1834 to 16 March 1834Martinus Swarte, acting Commander
16 March 1834 to 2 December 1836Christian Ernst Lans, Commander
2 December 1836 to 28 October 1837Hendrikus Jacobus Tonneboeijer, acting Commander
29 October 1837 to 5 August 1838Anthony van der Eb, acting Commander
5 August 1838 to 7 March 1840Hendrik Bosch, Governor
7 March 1840 to 1846Anthony van der Eb, Governor1st Term
1846 to 1847Willem George Frederik Derx, Governor1st Term
1847 to 1852Anthony van der Eb, Governor2nd Term
1852 to 1856Hero Schomerus, Governor
1856 to 1865Petrus Jacobus Runckel, Governor
1856 to 1857Willem George Frederik Derx, Governor2nd Term
1857Jules Felicine Romain Stanislas van den Bossche, Governor
1857 to 1862Cornelis Johannes Marius Nagtglas, Governor1st Term
1862 to 1865Henry Alexander Elias, Governor
1865 to 1866Arend Magnin, Governor
1866 to 1867Willem Hendrik Johan van Idzinga, Governor
1867 to 1869Georg Pieter Willem Boers, Governor
1869 to 1871Cornelis Johannes Marius Nagtglas, Governor2nd Term
1871 to 1871Jan Albert Hendrik Hugenholz, Governor
1871 to 21 February 1871Jan Helenus Ferguson, Lieutenant-Governor

See also

Notes

  1. Michel Doortmont. "Category:Governors of the Dutch Gold Coast". GCDB-Wiki. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. Nagtglas 1863, p. 4

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.