Pieter Woortman
| Pieter Woortman | |
|---|---|
| Director-General of the Dutch Gold Coast | |
|
In office 8 June 1767 – 11 April 1780 | |
| Preceded by | Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper |
| Succeeded by | Jacobus van der Puye |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
23 March 1700 Soest, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died |
14 April 1780 (aged 80) Elmina, Dutch Gold Coast |
| Spouse(s) |
Elisabeth Carrier Afodua |
Pieter Woortman (23 March 1700 – 14 April 1780)[1] was an administrator of the Dutch West India Company. He was one of the longest-serving Director-General of the Dutch Gold Coast, in office between 1767 and 1769 (ad interim) and from 1769 until his death in 1780.[2]
Biography
Pieter Woortman was born in Soest, Margraviate of Brandenburg, to Johann Georg Wortmann and Margaretha Elisabeth Plange.[1] In 1721, Woortman applied for a job at the Dutch West India Company, and was stationed as soldier on the Dutch Gold Coast. Woortman made a swift career, becoming fort commandant and acting military commander, and retired to the Netherlands in 1730.[3]
Woortman settled in Groningen, set up a grocery store, married Elisabeth Carrier, and founded a family. Probably because of personal financial problems, he returned to the Gold Coast in 1741.[3] Because of his previous experience, he was installed as commandant Fort Lijdzaamheid soon after his arrival. Here he met a local African woman named Afodua or Aphodewa, with whom he would have six children.[3][1] At Fort Lijdzaamheid, Woortman and Afodua led a profitable slave trade enterprise, which probably led him to delay his application for a higher office.[3]
When he eventually did so in 1763, he would rise to the highest office of Director-General in four years time. Jan and Hendrik Woortman, sons from his Dutch marriage with Elisabeth Carrier joined him in his personal enterprise, later joined by sons from his relationship with Afodua. The combination of Woortman's contacts with the Company, and Afodua's contacts with the local people, proved very worthwhile.[3]
Woortman died on 14 April 1780, at the age of 80.[1]
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 "Woortman, Pieter". GoldCoastDataBase. 2011-06-29. Retrieved 25 April 2012. (registration required)
- ↑ Doortmont & Smit 2007, p. 294.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Doortmont 2001, p. 25.
References
- Doortmont, Michel R. (2001). "An overview of Dutch relations with the Gold Coast in the light of David van Nyendael's mission to Ashanti in 1701-02". In Van Kessel, W.M.J. Merchants, missionaries & migrants : 300 years of Dutch-Ghanaian relations. Amsterdam: KIT publishers. pp. 19–31.
- Doortmont, Michel R.; Smit, Jinna (2007). Sources for the mutual history of Ghana and the Netherlands. An annotated guide to the Dutch archives relating to Ghana and West Africa in the Nationaal Archief, 1593-1960s. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-15850-4.