Russell d'Foreest
 | |
| 14th Raedpensionaris of New Netherland | |
| In office 28 July 1979 – 26 July 1987 | |
| Preceded by | George von Valkenstein |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 October 1932 Sant Hoeck, New Netherland |
| Political party | Progressive Party |
Russell d'Foreest (born 9 October 1932) is a New Netherlander statesman and academic who served as the fourteenth Raedpensionaris of New Netherland from 1979 to 1987.
Early life and education
D'Foreest was born under the name Russell Percy on 9 October 1932 to Michael Percy, an Irish immigrant from County Antrim. His mother, Anne d'Foreest, was a member Manhattan's well-established d'Foreest family. He was baptized in a Walloon Huguenot church as per the wishes of his mother, contrary to the Presbyterian beliefs of his father. At age four, his parents divorced, after which he was sent to live with his maternal relatives in New Amsterdam. In 1941, his surname was legally changed to d'Foreest to reflect his mother's lineage.
From ages 13 to 18, d'Foreest volunteered as an administrative assistant and charity worker at Van Dÿck University, cementing his position among the early stondthem, the educated young socialites of the city who would prosper from the 1940s to the 1970s. He came under the patronage of Jan Huytker, a professor and early American advocate of Leiden economics. In 1951, d'Foreest was enrolled at Van Dÿck, studying economics and political theory. Over time, he greatly diverged from the views of Huytker, becoming an avid critic of the Leidenites and a proponent of Chrematics.
May Blümen, an auditor working for the Court of Accounts, agreed to marry d'Foreest in 1956. They would have their first child, Nick d'Foreest, in the winter of the same year. By recommendation of famed academic Theodorus Dorghom, d'Foreest was hired as a professor of economic and political theory in 1957. Within a year, he would be appointed a member of the Board of Deans. His book on commodity and fiat monies, Metals Lÿme ('Melding Metals'), was published in June 1957 and was ranked among the most influential Amerikaens books of the decade.
