Jacobus Cornelis van der Breggen Paauw (born 14 June 1797 – 19 January 1830) was a Dutch colonial administrator on the Gold Coast. He was interim commander between 1826 and 1828.

Biography

Jacobus van der Breggen Paauw was born in Amsterdam to Pieter van der Breggen Paauw, a

Remonstrant The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...

minister, and Jacoba Cornelia Maas. Van der Breggen Paauw was one of the colonial administrators that accompanied the designated Governor-General

Herman Willem Daendels Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch revolutionary, general and politician who served as the 36th Governor General of the Dutch East Indies between 1808 and 1811. Early life Born in Hattem, Netherlands, on 21 Octob ...

during his journey to the Gold Coast in 1815. Daendels's appointment as Governor-General of the scattered and rather unimportant Dutch colonial holdings on the Gold Coast was a consequence of him being a leader of the Patriot faction in the

Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...

and Kingdom of Holland. After the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

was restored to the centre of power in the Netherlands in 1813, the newly inaugurated King William I of the Netherlands, found in the Dutch possessions Gold Coast a perfect excuse to rid himself of a potentially dangerous rival. To keep Daendels at peace, he was guaranteed an increased budget and some highly qualified colonial administrators, of which Van der Breggen Paauw was one. Between 1815 and 1821, Van der Breggen Paauw was as an assistant in the colonial administration, serving among other things as bookkeeper, secretary, fiscal and cashier. He was honourably discharged from his duties on 1 May 1821. Van der Breggen Paauw remained on the Gold Coast, however, and settled in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

as a private merchant. In July 1825, Van der Breggen Paauw returned to the colonial administration as a resident, however, and became acting commander of the Dutch Gold Coast 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 acting commander Friedrich Last between 3 January 1826 and 26 November 1827. Van der Breggen Paauw and his wife Martha Johanna Theodora Rühle both drowned when the ship that was to take them to the Netherlands sank near the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

Personal life

When he was Acting Commander of the Dutch Gold Coast, Jacobus van der Breggen Paauw married the Euro-African Martha Johanna Theodora Rühle according to local rites on 12 June 1827 in Elmina. After Commander Friedrich Last returned to the Gold Coast in 1828, the couple requested him to confirm their marriage.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Breggen-Paauw, Jacobus Cornelis van der 1797 births 1830 deaths Colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast Dutch West India Company people from Amsterdam