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)
Director-General Jan Valkenburgh (1656–1659; 1662–1667).
Director-General Dirck Wilre (1662; 1668–1674).
Director-General Jan Pranger (1730–1734).

There are many lists available of Director-Generals of the Gold Coast in service of the Dutch West India Company, all with slightly conflicting names and dates. The most accurate information is available for the eighteenth century, as Harvey Feinberg compiled a list of Director-Generals of that century on the basis of day registries available at the Nationaal Archief.[2]

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 1694 9 June 1696
Joan van Sevenhuijsen Director-General 9 June 1696 16 May 1702
Willem de la Palma Director-General 16 May 1702 17 October 1705 Died in office
Pieter Nuyts Director-General 23 October 1705 26 September 1708 Died in office
Henrico van Wesel Governor 26 September 1708 13 July 1709
Adriaan Schoonheijd Director-General 13 July 1709 15 March 1711 Died in office
Hieronimus Haring Director-General 16 March 1711 12 May 1716
Abraham Engelgraaf-Robbertszoon Director-General 12 May 1716 11 March 1718
Willem Butler Director-General 12 March 1718 25 September 1722
Abraham Houtman Director-General 25 September 1722 17 May 1723 Died in office
Mattheus de Crane Governor 17 May 1723 14 December 1723
Pieter Valkenier Director-General 14 December 1723 6-7 March 1727
Robert Norre Director-General 7 March 1727 6 March 1730
Jan Pranger Director-General 6 March 1730 13 March 1734
Antonius van Overbeke Director-General 13 March 1734 2 April 1736 Died in office
Martinus François de Bordes Director-General 7 April 1736 16 March 1740 Died in office
François Barovius Governor 17 March 1740 8 March 1741
Baron Jacob de Petersen Director-General 8 March 1741 10-12 April 1747
Jan van Voorst Director-General 10-12 April 1747 14 July 1754
Nicolas Mattheus van der Nood de Gietere Director-General 14 July 1754 24 October 1755 Died in office
Roelof Ulzen Governor 24 October 1755 15 January 1758
Lambert Jacob van Tets Director-General 15 January 1758 12 March 1758 Died in office
Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper President of the Council 22 March 1758 5 October 1760 1st Term
David Pieter Erasmie Director-General 5 October 1760 19 July 1763 Died in office
Hendrick Walmbeek Governor 24 July 1763 10 September 1764
Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper Director-General 10 September 1764 11 July 1767 2nd Term; died in office
Willem Sulyard van Leefdael and Cornelis Klok President of the Council 11 July 1767 27 August 1767 Both acting ad interim until Woortman arrived at Elmina
Pieter Woortman Director-General 27 August 1767 14 April 1780 Died in office
Jacobus van der Puije President of the Council 10 May 1780 30 December 1780
Pieter Volkmar Director-General 30 December 1780 12 March 1784
Gilles Servaas Galle President of the Council 15 March 1784 14 February 1785 1st Term
Adolph Thierens Director-General 14 February 1785 26 May 1786 Died in office
Gilles Servaas Galle President of the Council 2 June 1786 24 August 1787 2nd Term; died in office
Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp President of the Council 27 August 1787 11-14 March 1790 1st Term
Jacobus Adriaan de Veer Director-General 11-14 March 1790 31 December 1791 Dutch West India Company liquidated 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.[3] 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.

  Denotes service as acting governor.
Title Portrait Name Tenure
Took office Left office
Director-General Jacobus Adriaan de Veer 1 January 1792 5 May 1794
– Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp 5 May 1794 10 January 1795
Governor Otto Arnoldus Duim 10 January 1795 2 June 1796
– Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp 2 June 1796 21 August 1796
Director-General Gerhardus Hubertus van Hamel 21 August 1796 1 May 1798
Governor-General Cornelius Ludwich Bartels
Promoted to Governor-General on 12 August 1801		 8 May 1798 28 April 1804
– Isaac de Roever 28 April 1804 15 June 1805
Governor-General Pieter Linthorst
Acting until 5 August 1805		 16 June 1805 21 July 1807
– Johannes Petrus Hoogenboom 21 July 1807 11 August 1808
– Jan Frederik König 12 August 1808 5 March 1810
Commandant-General Abraham de Veer 5 March 1810 1 March 1816
Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels 1 March 1816 2 May 1818
Commander Frans Christiaan Eberhard Oldenburg
Acting until 1 November 1819		 2 May 1818 2 January 1820
– Johannes Oosthout 10 January 1820 29 August 1821
– Friedrich Last 31 August 1821 14 February 1822
– Librecht Jan Temminck 14 February 1822 6 June 1822
Commander Willem Poolman 6 June 1822 14 June 1823
– Hendrik Adriaan Mouwe 27 June 1823 11 February 1824
– Johan David Carel Pagenstecher 17 February 1824 24 February 1824
– Friedrich Last 24 February 1824 3 January 1826
– Jacobus van der Breggen Paauw 3 January 1826 26 November 1827
Commander Friedrich Last 26 November 1827 17 April 1833
– Jan Tieleman Jacobus Cremer 17 April 1833 17 May 1833
– Eduard Daniel Leopold van Ingen 17 May 1833 2 February 1834
– Martinus Swarte 2 February 1834 16 March 1834
Commander Christiaan Lans 16 March 1834 2 December 1836
– Hendrik Tonneboeijer 2 December 1836 28 October 1837
– Anthony van der Eb 29 October 1837 5 August 1838
Governor Hendrik Bosch 5 August 1838 7 March 1840
Governor Anthony van der Eb 11 March 1840 9 June 1846
– Willem George Frederik Derx
Acting during European leave of Van der Eb		 9 June 1846 10 July 1847
Governor Anthony van der Eb
Resumed office upon return from Europe		 10 July 1847 21 September 1852
Governor Hero Schomerus
Acting until 20 January 1853		 21 September 1852 25 September 1856
– Petrus Jacobus Runckel 25 September 1856 6 November 1856
– Willem George Frederik Derx 6 November 1856 29 April 1857
Governor Jules van den Bossche 29 April 1857 9 September 1857
Governor Cornelis Nagtglas
Acting until 21 June 1858		 9 September 1857 7 May 1860
– Cornelis Meeuwsen
Acting during the European leave of Nagtglas		 7 May 1860 21 January 1861
Governor Cornelis Nagtglas
Resumed office upon return from Europe		 21 January 1861 23 June 1862
Governor Henri Alexander Elias 18 October 1862 12 March 1864
– Carel van Hien
Acting during the European leave of Elias		 12 March 1864 13 June 1864
– Hendrik Doijer
Acting during the European leave of Elias		 13 June 1864 7 December 1864
Governor Henri Alexander Elias
Resumed office upon return from Europe		 7 December 1864 4 May 1865
– Arent Magnin 4 May 1865 19 February 1866
Governor Willem Hendrik Johan van Idsinga 19 February 1866 17 April 1867
Governor George Pieter Willem Boers 17 April 1867 15 May 1869
Governor Cornelis Nagtglas 15 May 1869 8 June 1871
– Jan Albert Hendrik Hugenholtz 8 June 1871 17 September 1871
– Johannes Wirix 17 September 1871 28 October 1871
– Willem Le Jeune 28 October 1871 15 November 1871
Lieutenant Governor Jan Helenus Ferguson 15 November 1871 6 April 1872

See also

Notes
  1. Michel Doortmont. "Category:Governors of the Dutch Gold Coast". GCDB-Wiki. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. Feinberg 1974.
  3. Nagtglas 1863, p. 4

References
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