Gerard Arnout Hasselaer (20 February 1698,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

- 12 July 1766,

Heemstede Heemstede () is a town and a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the fourth richest municipality of the Netherlands. History Heemstede formed around the Castle ''Heemstede'' that was built overlooking the ...

) was a burgomaster and counsellor of the city of Amsterdam, and a Director of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

. Some historians have said he was an able regent. Others have said he was conservative and not truly capable. A contemporary, , said he was "idle and preoccupied with his own pleasures." On 18 October 1748 Hasselaer was among the High and Mighty Lords of the States General of the United Provinces who were signatories to the

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) The 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, sometimes called the Treaty of Aachen, ended the War of the Austrian Succession, following a congress assembled on 24 April 1748 at the Free Imperial City of Aachen. The two main antagonists in the war, Bri ...

which ended the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

. Hasselaer was a director of the Indian Council when, in December 1748,

Joan Gideon Loten Joan Gideon Loten (also spelt Johan or John, in school records as Johannes Gideon Looten) (16 May 1710 – 25 February 1789) was a Dutch servant in the colonies of the Dutch East India Company, the 29th Governor of Zeylan, Fellow of the Royal Soc ...

obtained a position as a Councillor extraordinary. Hasselaer took an interest in navigation, and possessed a collection of scientific instruments. He represented

William IV, Prince of Orange William IV (Willem Karel Hendrik Friso; 1 September 1711 – 22 October 1751) was Prince of Orange from birth and the first hereditary stadtholder of all the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1747 until his death in 1751. During his whole l ...

in three Dutch Admiralties. At this time the Dutch were trying to catch up with the English in navigational knowledge and skills, and Hasselaer assisted in this process. In 1757

John May (shipwright) John May Sr or Jan Maij (1694 – 1779) was an English shipwright from Chatham who served from 1758-1779 as Master Shipbuilder of the Amsterdam Admiralty. Career John May was hired in 1728 by the Amsterdam Admiralty. In 1727 this Admira ...

was appointed. On his death Hasselaer left a collection of 266 objects, including navigational instruments. In November 1776

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

acquired an "extra fine octant in its case" made by

Jonathan Sisson Jonathan Sisson (1690 – 1747) was a prominent English instrument maker, the inventor of the modern theodolite with a sighting telescope for surveying, and a leading maker of astronomical instruments. Career Jonathan Sisson was born in Lincoln ...

(c.1690-1747), a London-based maker of scientific instruments, from this collection. Hasselaer, as regent of

, was in contact with Sisson and with his Amsterdam-based brother-in-law

Benjamin Ayres Benjamin James Ayres (born January 19, 1983) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Zach Miller of the CTV series ''Saving Hope''. He also recurred on the Gemini Award–winning HBO Canada series ''Less Than Kind'' for which he ...

, also an instrument maker.

Jan Hope John Hope (14 February 1737 – 20 April 1784), also known as Jan Hope, was a wealthy Dutch banker, participating in Hope & Co., a member of the city council and an art collector. In 1770 he was appointed as manager of the Dutch East India Co ...

, his neighbor bought his estate in Heemstede.

Bibliography

Inventories of Hasselaer's collection and his library were published for the auction of 1776. * *

References

Citations Sources * * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasselaer, Gerard Arnout 1698 births 1766 deaths Mayors of Amsterdam Administrators of the Dutch East India Company