Cornelis Meeuwsen (born 17 March 1826 – 30 April 1896) was a Dutch colonial administrator and tobacco farmer, who made a career in the administration on the

Dutch Gold Coast The Dutch Gold Coast or Dutch Guinea, officially Dutch possessions on the Coast of Guinea (Dutch: ''Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea'') was a portion of contemporary Ghana that was gradually colonized by the Dutch, beginning in 1612. ...

and who became interim governor during the European leave of governor

Cornelis Nagtglas Cornelis Johannes Marius Nagtglas (born 16 May 1814 – 19 January 1897) was a Dutch politician and civil servant, who made a career in the administration on the Dutch Gold Coast. After originally beginning his career at the advanced age of 3 ...

between 7 May 1860 and 21 January 1861.

Biography

Cornelis Meeuwsen was born in

Huissen Huissen () is a city with city rights in the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. The town is located in the Betuwe region and belongs to the municipality of Lingewaard, in the area between the major cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen. Huissen ...

as the tenth child of Gradus Meuwsen and Gertrudis Steenhof. Both his father and grandfather cultivated

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, a popular crop in Huissen in the middle of the 19th century. Meeuwsen's familiarity with cultivating tobacco was one of the main reasons to recruit him for service on the

, as the colonial government had started a tobacco plantation in the government garden of Elmina. Meeuwsen was appointed assistant on the Coast of Guinea by royal decree of 21 juni 1848 and departed for the Dutch Gold Coast on 14 November 1848, arriving on 11 February 1849. Meeuwsen developed a tobacco plantation at Simbo, which was more successful than the plantation established on poor soil in the government garden in Elmina. The Simbo plantation soon had difficulty attracting labourers, however, and was shut down on 30 June 1855. Meeuwsen was promoted to resident on the Coast of Guinea on 1 December 1855 and continued his career in the colonial administration as commandant of

Fort San Sebastian A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

at Shama. On 14 May 1856, he was appointed commandant of

Fort Orange Fort Orange ( nl, Fort Oranje) was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city of Albany, New York developed at this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearb ...

Sekondi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...

. After returning to the Gold Coast on 11 September 1857 from a year-long European leave, Meeuwsen was appointed bookkeeper, public prosecutor, government secretary and cashier, succeeding Petrus Jacobus Runckel. This office made Meeuwsen second in command of the colony. During the

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

leave of Nagtglas between 7 May 1860 and 21 January 1861, Meeuwsen served as acting governor. Meeuwsen returned to the Netherlands on 14 April 1861 and was honourably discharged of his duties by royal decree of 27 October 1861. Almost immediately after his return, on 19 June 1861, he married Hendrina Johanna Leijser, with whom he had six children. He settled again in Huissen, where he was a member of the municipal council. Cornelis Meeuwsen died on 30 April 1896, aged 70.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meeuwsen, Cornelis 1826 births 1896 deaths Colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast