New Netherland: Directors General: 1624-1664 - Archontology
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New Netherland: Directors General: 1624-1664
Directeur-generaal van Nieuw-Nederland [1]
1624 Cornelius Jacobsz. May (Mey) [2]
1625 - 1626 Willem Verhulst (van der Hulst) [3]
1626 - 1632 Peter Minuit
Jan? 1632 - Mar? 1633 Bastiaen Jansz. Krol [4]
Mar? 1633 - Apr 1638 Wouter van Twiller [5]
Apr 1638 - May 1647 Willem Kieft [6]
May 1647 - 29 Aug/8 Sep 1664 Peter Stuyvesant [7]
  1. The style directeur-generaal is attested as consistently used only during the term of Stuyvesant.
  2. May is said to be the skipper of a vessel which brought first colonists to New Netherland in 1624 and the first director of the colony (Wassenaer's Historical Account, p. 38; New Netherland Narratives 1609-1664, p. 84). There is no evidence that he was appointed director by the West India Company as required by the charter of 1621.
  3. Verhulst was appointed provisional director ("by provisie directeur") or commissioner ("commis") of the West India Company as evident from two sets of instructions of which the first is undated and the second is dated 22 Apr 1625 (New Netherland Documents 1624-1626, pp. 35-129). He was deposed and replaced with Minuit by the Council of New Netherland certainly before 18/28 Jul 1626, the date of arrival of the Secretary of New Netherland Isaack de Rasières to New Amsterdam (reported in his letter dated 23 Sep 1626, New Netherland Documents 1624-1626, pp. 171-251)
  4. Krol was appointed director by the West India Company, probably in early 1632 (Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, pp. 217, 302)
  5. Van Twiller was appointed director general by the West India Company before 10/20 Jul 1632 (Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, pp. 217). He arrived in New Netherland most probably in March 1633 and certainly before 6/16 Apr 1633 as recorded in the diary of David de Vries (De Vries Voyages, p. 57).
  6. According to the Register of the Resolutions of the States General of the Netherlands, the commission to Kieft was ordered to be issued on 23 Aug/2 Sep 1637 and he was sworn in the same day. Kieft arrived to New Amsterdam on 18/28 Mar 1638. The minutes of the Director and Council under Kieft begin on 29 Mar/8 Apr 1638.
  7. Commission of Stuyvesant as Director General is dated 18/28 Jul 1646, he was sworn in on the same day. Stuyvesant arrived to New Amsterdam on 1/11 May 1647. The first resolutions of the Director General and Council were signed by Stuyvesant on 17/27 May 1647, while the last patent known to be signed by Kieft is dated 6/16 May 1647.
Last update: 14 Dec 2023
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