The College of Kiezers was an electoral college in the Dutch colonies of

Essequibo Essequibo is the largest traditional region of Guyana but not an administrative region of Guyana today. It may also refer to: * Essequibo River, the largest river in Guyana * Essequibo (colony), a former Dutch colony in what is now Guyana; * Esseq ...

and

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state fro ...

and their successor,

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

History

The College of Kiezers was established by

Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande (12 October 1704 – 14 August 1775) was a Dutch people, Dutch governor of the colonies of Essequibo (colony), Essequibo and Demerara from 1743 to 1772. He turned Demerara in a successful plantation colony, and the ...

, Commander of the Dutch colony of Essequibo as an electoral college for Dutch planters to elect members of the

Court of Policy The Court of Policy was a legislative body in Dutch and British Guiana until 1928. For most of its existence it formed the Combined Court together with the six Financial Representatives. History The Court of Policy was established in 1732 by the ...

and

Council of Justice A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

as places became vacant. Sitting together, the

and the College of Kiezers formed the

Combined Court The Combined Court was the legislature of British Guiana until 1928. In its final form, it consisted of a sitting of the Court of Policy together with the elected Financial Representatives. History The Combined Court was established by the Dutch ...

. The Colleges had an equal number of members from the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

and civilians. In 1789 Essequibo and Demerara were merged into a single administration, and joint Colleges were established. After the British took control of Guiana in 1803, the College came to be seen as the domain of the Dutch colonists. Facing opposition from the body, Lieutenant Governor of Demerara

Hugh Lyle Carmichael Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Lyle Carmichael (1764–1813), was a British officer of the 2nd West India Regiment. He was Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces at the Siege of Santo Domingo. He was Lieutenant Governor of Demerara Essequibo fr ...

abolished it in 1812, giving its duties to the Financial Representatives, who were elected by the public, although with a severely limited franchise. The College was re-established in the 1830s,Early British administrative reforms
Guyana.org with its members elected for life by planters. When a vacancy arose in the Court of Policy, the College would nominate two candidates, which the remaining members of the Court of Policy would vote on.
Guyana.org However, other parts of the business community objected to the College's monopoly on selecting Court of Policy members. In October 1845 the

Reform Association Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

petitioned

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

to abolish the body and widen the electoral franchise. The College of Kiezers was abolished for a second time in 1891 when a new constitution allowed for direct elections to the Court of Policy.

References

{{reflist Electoral colleges Dutch colonisation of the Guianas British Guiana Political history of Guyana 1812 disestablishments in South America 1891 disestablishments in South America