Michiel Reiniersz Pauw (29 March 1590 – 24 March 1640) was a director of 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 ( ...

(WIC) between 1621 and 1636. He is buried at at Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam. Naar gravure uit Vingboons Afbeeldseis - Amsterdam - 20017214 - RCE

He grew up in Warmoesstraat in an influential Calvinist merchant family and studied law in Leiden. In 1615, Michiel married Hillegonda Spiegel; in 1631 they lived at Singel 200. His brother

Adriaan Pauw Adriaan Pauw, knight, '' heer van Heemstede, Bennebroek, Nieuwerkerk etc.'' (1 November 1585 – 21 February 1653) was Grand Pensionary of Holland from 1631 to 1636 and from 1651 to 1653. Life He was born in Amsterdam in a rich merchant family; ...

(1585 - February 21, 165

was Grand Pensionary of Holland from 1631 to 1636 and from 1651 to 1653, and signatory of the

Peace of Münster The Peace of Münster was a treaty between the Lords States General of the Seven United Netherlands and the Spanish Crown, the terms of which were agreed on 30 January 1648. The treaty, parallelly negotiated to but not part of the Peace of We ...

(1648) for which he was instrumental as ambassador for Holland. They had four brothers: Cornelis, Reynier, Pieter, and Jacob. Their father,

Reynier Pauw Reyer or Reynier Pauw, (Amsterdam, July 29, 1564 - February 19, 1636 ) was an influential Amsterdam regent of the Golden Age. Pauw was pensionary and eight times mayor of Amsterdam. He was involved in the Compagnie van Verre, the VOC, and the tr ...

(1564–1636) was a merchant in grain and timber, one of the founders of the Dutch East India Company and the

, several times mayor of Amsterdam.

West India Company

The WIC was founded in 1621 to exploit trade in the Western Hemisphere, and by 1625 had established a colony at Fort Amsterdam (

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

) and Fort Orange. In the hope of encouraging settlement the company, in 1629, started to offer vast land grants and the feudal title of patroon.Johan van Hartskamp, De Westindische Compangnie en haar Belangen in Niuew-Nederland, een overzicht (1621-1664)http://stuyvesant.library.uu.nl under the auspices of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions. In 1630, Pauw purchased two tracts from the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

at Hopoghan Hackingh ( Hoboken) and at Ashasimus (

Harsimus Harsimus (also known as Harsimus Cove) is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment (the Sixth Street Embankment) on the north to Christoph ...

), covering the entire peninsula between the Hudson River and Hackensack River now known as

Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in t ...

, as well as a third purchase of Staten Eylandt (

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

), now part of New York City. The patroonship was given the Latinized form of his surname (which means "peacock"), Pavonia. It is said it was sold to him by the Manhattans after they had retreated there after the sale of their home island to Peter Minuit some years before. Initially, a small hut and ferry landing were built at Arresick, called Powles Hoek ( Paulus Hook), but Pauw failed to fulfill the other conditions set forth by the company (which included populating the area with at least fifty adults), and was later required to sell his interests back to it. In 1634 he collaborated with Kiliaen van Rensselaer and Wouter van Twiller in sending cattle (horses and cows) in the next six years. The name Pavonia remains as an avenue and library branch in contemporary Jersey City. There is also a Pavonia Court in Bayonne and Pavonia Avenue in Kearny. Erie Railroad's Hudson waterfront terminus was called Pavonia Terminal located nearby PATH rapid transit system's station once called Pavonia. Saint Peter's College, located on land that was part of the patroonship, has as its mascot a peacock. Pavonia was not the only American territory that would bear his name. First described by Amerigo Vespucci, who traveled with a Portuguese expedition of Gonçalo Coelho to Brazil in the year 1503, the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago was invaded by the English, and from 1556 until 1612, was held by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. In 1628, it was occupied by the Dutch, who were displaced two years later by a Spanish-Portuguese military expedition led by Rui Calaza Borges. The Dutch occupied the island once again in 1635, making it a hospital for their troops who occupied the Brazilian coast between

Rio São Francisco Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

and Maranhão. The island became known as '' Pavonia'', in honor of Pauw. It would remain under Dutch control for nearly twenty years, when it was reconquered by Portugal. In 1623, Pauw was knighted by the Republic of Venice in

Order of Saint Mark The Order of Saint Mark ( it, Ordine di San Marco) was the sole order of chivalry of the Republic of Venice. It was named in honour of Venice's patron saint, Mark the Evangelist. History The Order of Saint Mark was the only chivalric order of ...

supporting the city against the Philip III of Spain. He was lord of

Achttienhoven, South Holland Achttienhoven is a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Nieuwkoop, and lies about 7 km north of Woerden Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central locat ...

through his wife, and father of three children. In 1638, he commissioned Philips Vingboons, one of the most popular architects of the period, to build a canal house at Herengracht in a Palladian style. Clad in grey sandstone imported from Bentheim, Germany, it was the first in the city to have a ''neck'' gable.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pauw, Michiel Reyniersz 1590 births 1640 deaths Administrators of the Dutch West India Company Dutch West India Company people from Amsterdam People from New Netherland 17th-century Dutch politicians History of Jersey City, New Jersey