Culture
Abraham de Veer: Curaçao-born governor of the Windward Islands, 1817–1822
A profile of Abraham de Veer (1767–1838), born on Curaçao, who governed the Dutch Windward Islands of St. Martin, St. Eustatius and Saba from 1817 to 1822.
By SXM Daily ·
Abraham de Veer was a Dutch colonial administrator who governed the Dutch Windward Islands, St. Martin, St. Eustatius and Saba, from 1817 to 1822. Born on Curaçao, he spent his career in the service of the Netherlands on both sides of the Atlantic, from the Gold Coast of West Africa to Suriname.
Portrait of Abraham de Veer, unknown artist. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Born on Curaçao
De Veer was born on Curaçao on 8 January 1767, the son of Johannes de Veer, governor of Curaçao, according to the Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek (NNBW), the Dutch national biographical dictionary.
West Africa
Before he came to the Windward Islands, De Veer served on the Dutch Gold Coast in West Africa, where he was commandant-general from 1810 to 1816, according to the NNBW.
Governor of the Windward Islands
He was then made governor of what the NNBW calls "the Windward islands St. Martin, St. Eustatius and Saba", and left for the islands on 19 February 1817. His term ran from 2 June 1817 to 18 January 1822, according to the reference site worldstatesmen. During those years he was responsible for the Dutch part of St. Martin together with the two neighbouring islands.
Suriname
From 1822 De Veer was governor of Suriname. He died in Paramaribo on 1 February 1838, according to the NNBW.
Why he matters to the island
De Veer is one of the governors who ran the Dutch side of St. Martin in the early 19th century, when it was governed together with St. Eustatius and Saba. His career shows how closely the island was tied to the wider Dutch colonial network of Curaçao, West Africa and Suriname.
Sources
- https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/molh003nieu10_01/molh003nieu10_01_1696.php
- https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Saint_Eustatius.html
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_de_Veer.jpg
Source: https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/molh003nieu10_01/molh003nieu10_01_1696.php
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