Joan van Hoorn
Joan van Hoorn | |
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![]() Portrait of Joan van Hoorn | |
Governor-General of theDutch East Indies | |
In office 15 August 1704 – 30 October 1709 | |
Preceded by | Willem van Outhoorn |
Succeeded by | Abraham van Riebeeck |
Personal details | |
Born | Amsterdam,Dutch Republic | 16 November 1653
Died | 21 February 1711 Amsterdam, Dutch Republic | (aged 57)
Joan van Hoorn(1653–1711) wasGovernor-General of the Dutch East Indiesfrom 1704 until 1709.
Joan (or Johan) van Hoorn was born on 16 November 1653, son to the wealthyAmsterdamgunpowder manufacturer, Pieter Janszn van Hoorn and his wife Sara Bessels, a grandchild ofGerard Reynst.As the gunpowder trade was no longer doing so well, his influential friends got him named as Counsellor-extraordinary (Raad extraordinair) to theDutch Council of the Indies.The whole family left for theIndiesin 1663, including Joan.
In 1665, when he was still only 12 years old, Joan van Hoorn was already Under-assistant (onder-assistant) in theDutch East India Company(VOC). From July 1666 until January 1668, he accompanied his father on a mission toChina,where he was received by theKangxi Emperor.Thereafter, Van Hoorn made rapid progress in his career. He became Assistant (assistent) in 1671, Underbuyer (onderkoopman) in 1673, Buyer (koopman) and First Clerk to the general secretarial function in 1676. He was made Secretary to the High Government (Hoge Regering) of the Indies in 1678. On 11 August 1682 he became Counsellor-extraordinary to the Council of the Indies. In that same year he was sent on a visit toBantam.He was also named President of theWeeskamer(overseeing the estates of orphans, etc.). In 1684, he became President of theCollege van Heemraden(looking after land boundaries, roads, etc.). A further visit toBantamtook place in 1685, following which he was named full Counsellor (Raad ordinair) of the Indies.
In 1691 Van Hoorn married Anna Struis. They had a daughter, Petronella Wilhelmina. She later marriedJan Trip,the Mayor's son. A later marriage (1721) saw Petronella married to Lubbert Adolf Torck, Lord ofRozendaal.
Van Hoorn became Director-General in 1691. In this post, he completely reorganised the Company's administration. Following the death of his wife, he remarried, in 1692, this time to Susanna, the daughter of the then Governor-GeneralWillem van Outhoorn.He himself was named, on 20 September 1701, as Governor-General in succession to his father-in-law. However, he declined to accept the post until three other high officials (Mattheus de Haan,Hendrick Zwaardecroonand de Roo), nominated by him, were admitted to the High Government of the Indies. He did this as he had no faith in the existing Council. TheSeventeen Lords(Heren XVII) acceded to this demand and on 15 August 1704, Joan van Hoorn accepted the post of Governor General.
The early years of Joan van Hoorn's term of office were marked by the war then raging - theFirst Javanese War of Succession (1704 - 1708).At first the Company wanted to stay out of the conflict, but eventually they had to take sides. In 1705, Joan van Hoorn concluded an agreement withMataram,which ceded West Java to the Company. Joan van Hoorn experimented with coffee plantation. Prices were determined by the merchants atMochaso to do something about this, the Company tried growing coffee in other regions. Subsequently, there was great expansion of coffee growing, especially in thePrianganuplands nearBatavia.
On 16 November 1706, following the death of Susanna, Van Hoorn remarried, this time to Joanna Maria van Riebeeck, oldest daughter of the then Director-GeneralAbraham van Riebeeck.She was also the widow ofGerard de Heere,who had been Counsellor of the Indies and Governor ofCeylon.A son was born on 2 February 1708, but he died shortly afterwards.
On 2 March 1708, Joan van Hoorn's request to leave post was granted. On 30 October 1709, he handed over the post to his father-in-lawAbraham van Riebeeck.Despite his further request to remain in the Indies, he was recalled to the Netherlands, as Commander of the returning fleet. He bought a very pleasant house on theHerengrachtinAmsterdam.TheHeren XVIIpresented him with a gold chain and medallion. He died six months following his return on 21 February 1711. He was buried in the evening, as was then the fashion.
Sources
[edit]- Site in Dutch dedicated to the VOC
- Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch-Indië, part H-M
- Putten, L.P. van, 2002. -Ambitie en onvermogen: gouverneurs-generaal van Nederlands-Indië 1610-1796.
- Valentijn, F., 2003. -Oud en Nieuw oost-Indiën, deel IV/A. Heruitgave in facsimile van de oospronkelijke uitgave uit 1724.