List of Director-Generals of New Netherland
This is a list that encompasses the list of Director-Generals of New Netherland, from the colony's establishment in the 1620s up until independence achieved during the Autumn War of the 1790s against the Netherlands.
Pre-Charter era: 1624–1656
Before the 1656 municipal charter, New Netherland was governed by Director-Generals appointed by the Dutch West India Company (WIC). The WIC exercised significant control over the colony's administration and governance. Despite convening councils composed of colonists to advise the Director-General, these councils often had their recommendations disregarded. This discontentment among the colonists grew when Director-General Willem Kieft initiated a war against the native inhabitants in 1643 without the consent of the colonial council, leading to further frustration. The leadership under the Dutch WIC's control was marked by centralized authority and a lack of responsiveness to the colonists' concerns and rights, ultimately setting the stage for the changes that would come with the 1656 municipal charter.
After years of discontentment and grievances against the Dutch West India Company's governance, New Netherland underwent a significant transformation in its leadership structure. In 1652, in response to the colonists' demands for more rights and responsive governance, the Dutch Republic granted the colony a new municipal charter. This charter established a popularly elected government to oversee internal affairs, with Adriaen van der Donck becoming the colony's first popularly-selected leader. The Dutch West India Company was barred from interfering in internal affairs and governance. This change marked a shift towards a more self-governing and autonomous New Netherland, as it moved away from the company's control and toward a government that was accountable to the colony's inhabitants.
| Nº | Portrait | Name | Term | Stadtholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornelius Jacobsen May (fl. 1600s) |
1624–1625 | Maurice I | |
| 2 | William Verhulst (fl. 1600s) |
1625–1626 | Frederick Henry | |
| 3 | 
|
Peter Minuit (1580–1638) |
1626–1631 | |
| 4 | Sebastian Jansen Crol (1595–1674) |
1632–1633 | ||
| 5 |  |
Wouter van Twiller (1606–1654) |
1633–1638 | |
| 6 |  |
William Kieft (1597–1647) |
1638–1647 | |
| 7 | 
|
Peter Stuyvesant (c. 1610–1669) |
1647–1655 | William II |
| First Stadholderless period |
Post-Charter era: 1656–1709
| Nº | Portrait | Name | Term | Stadtholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 |  |
Adriaen van der Donck (c. 1618–1660) |
1656–1660 | First Stadholderless period |
| 9 | Paulus Leendertz van der Grift (1613–1680) |
1660–1664 | ||
| 10 | Jacob van Couwenhoven (1612–1674) |
1664–1670 | ||
| 11 | 
|
Oloff Stevensz van Cortlandt (1615–1687) |
1670–1676 | |
| William III | ||||
| 12 | Cornelius Steenwyck (1626–1683) |
1676–1679 | ||
| 13 | John Evertsen Bout (1603–1683) |
1679–1683 | ||
| 14 | Jochem Andriesen (1647–1710) |
1683–1692 | ||
| 15 | Nicolaes Zacutto[1] (1665–1710) |
1692–1697 | ||
| 16 | Frederick Blickhuysen (1657–1706) |
1697–1701 | ||
| 17 | Hendrick van Renssaeler (1666–1741) |
1701–1708 | ||
| 18 | William Le Moyne (1663–1729) |
1708–1709 |
Ketelhuyn's Age: 1709–1733
| Nº | Portrait | Name | Term | Stadtholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Theodorus Ketelhuyn (1657–1736) |
1709–1712 | William III | |
| 20 | Herman Thomassen Allerton (1673–1740) |
1712–1714 | ||
| 21 | Martin van Heemskerck (1659–1728) |
1714–1726 | ||
| 22 | Hendrick de Bisschop (1661–1731) |
1726–1728 | ||
| 23 | Matthias de la Croix (1689–1746) |
1728–1733 |
Sassafras era: 1733–1773
| Nº | Portrait | Name | Term | Stadtholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Hendrick van Woggelum (1681–1740) |
1733–1737 | ||
| 25 | William Valentine (1696–1773) |
1737–1741 | ||
| 26 | Egbert Muylenburg (1688–1755) |
1741–1748 | ||
| 27 | J. Pieter Swartwout (1702–1760) |
1748–1750 | ||
| 28 | Hans Theodor Adams (1707–1799) |
1750–1766 | ||
| 29 | Leonard Evertsen Bout (1710–1773) |
1766–1767 | ||
| 30 | William van Texel (1714–1789) |
1767–1769 | ||
| 31 | Raymond Koopman (1735–1804) |
1769–1773 |
Titanomachy: 1773–1796
| Nº | Portrait | Name | Term | Stadtholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Arnoldus van Gelderen (1722–1790) |
1773–1779 | ||
| 33 | Carolus Carmen (1747–1829) |
1779–1782 | ||
| 34 | Kiliaen van Renssaeler III (1736–1802) |
1782–1785 | ||
| 35 | Sibren van Heemskerck (1751–1800) |
1785–1792 | ||
| 36 |  |
Eleazar Henrÿcksz (1759–1797) |
1792–1796 |
Notes
- ^ Nicolaes Zacutto is the first New Netherland leader to have been born in the country. He is the descendant of Portuguese Jewish immigrants from the failed Dutch colony of New Holland (1630–1654, modern Pernambuco).
