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Jan Wichers

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Jan Wichers
Governor-General of Suriname
In office
24 December 1784[1] – 15 June 1790[1]
Preceded byBernard Texier [nl]
Succeeded byJurriaan François de Friderici
Personal details
Born
Jan Gerhard Wichers

(1745-07-15)15 July 1745
Groningen, Dutch Republic
Died3 October 1808(1808-10-03) (aged 63)
Vreeswijk, Kingdom of Holland
Occupationmilitary officer, lawyer

Jan Gerard Wichers (15 July 1745 – 3 October 1808) was a military officer and lawyer. He served as Governor of Suriname from 1784 until 1790.

Biography

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Wichers was born on 15 July 1745 in Groningen, Dutch Republic. In 1760, he started studying law at the University of Groningen, and obtained his doctorate on 15 June 1768.[2] He enlisted in the army.[3]

In 1771, Wichers was appointed Raad Fiscaal (Attorney general) in Suriname.[4] In 1775, Jan Wicherides, his only child, was born as a result of an extra-maritial affair with the free negress Adjuba.[5][6] Jan Wicherides would later become mayor of Uithoorn.[7]

On 24 December 1784, Wichers was appointed Governor-General of Suriname.[1] In 1785, he was promoted major general.[3] In 1790, Fort Groningen was built.[8] A city was planned around the fort, however the development of the town remained limited.[9] Wichers wanted to promote a mixed race middle class, because he felt that the Europeans in the colony had little loyalty to Suriname. He had planned, but never executed, to give an award of ƒ100,- for every mixed race child who was manumitted.[10]

On 15 June 1790, Wichers was succeeded by Jurriaan François de Friderici.[1] He returned to the Netherlands, and became a member of the Council of American Colonies in the Hague. In 1806, he became a member of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde.[11]

Wichers died on 3 October 1808 in Vreeswijk, at the age of 63.[2]

Legacy

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In 2012, RTV Noord aired a documentary about Groningen, Suriname, the town founded by Jan Wichers.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Surinaamsche Staatkundige Almanach voor den Jaare 1794". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). 1794. p. 36. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b P.J. Blok and P.C. Molhuysen (1937). Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek (in Dutch). Vol. 10. Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff.
  3. ^ a b "Appointment on August 22, 1785 in Den Haag (Netherlands)". Commission Books at Dutch National Archives (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  4. ^ Benjamins, Herman Daniël; Snelleman, Johannes (1917). Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië (in Dutch). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 324. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Suriname: Gereformeerden, Voornaam: Jan Wicherides". Dutch National Archives (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  6. ^ Wim Hoogbergen and Okke ten Hove (2001). "De vrije gekleurde en zwarte bevolking van Paramaribo, 1762-1863". OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis (in Dutch). p. 313. Retrieved 4 January 2022. The source stated that Jan Wicherides was manumitted, however the National Archives (and others) state that Adjuba was already free
  7. ^ "Burgemeesters". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). January 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Fort uit 1790 in Saramacca ontdekt". Star Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  9. ^ A. Kappler (1854). Zes jaren in Suriname (PDF) (in Dutch). Utrecht. p. 137. Retrieved 4 January 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ Jeroen Dewulf (2008). "'Wanneer ik dronken ben, word ik vreemdeling' De identiteitsproblematiek van Tip Marugg in multicultureel perspectief". Neerlandica extra Muros / Internationale Neerlandistiek (in Dutch). p. 11. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  11. ^ A.J. van der Aa (1877). Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden (in Dutch). Vol. 20. Haarlem: J.J. van Brederode.
  12. ^ "Groningen ligt in Suriname". Beno Hofman (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2022.