Geurt van Beuningen

Geurt van Beuningen (* 1565 in Amsterdam, † November 1633 ) was a Mayor of Amsterdam, administrators, and one of the first partner of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

Biography

Geurt van Beuningen came from the aristocratic family Van Beuningen. His father Dirck van Beuningen was a cheese merchant, his uncle Gerrit van Beuningen was a Dutch Vice- Admiral. Geurt his father immediately began to trade with dairy products. In 1602, he became the largest shareholder of the newly established VOC. In 1623 he bought the entire pepper stocks of VOCs, including the charges still on the shipping route. This transaction proved to be very profitable for him and was repeated later by other merchants.

Van Beuningen, she moved from the Kalverstraat in the Sint Antoniesbreestraat, where he lived next to Pieter Lastman, in which at that time Rembrandt learned.

Religiously he stood on the side and Remonstrant was found in the political entourage of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. The Remonstrants were not or only slightly to the church, their children were baptized at home, were tolerant inclined to the Catholics and the peace with Spain.

Geurt van Beuningen was mayor for many years a member of the Amsterdam Vroedschap and in the years 1627, 1628, 1630 and 1632. Van Beuningen had with Amsterdam regent Reinier Pauw auzufechten many socio-political problems, because while he was a Remonstrant and Republicans, Pauw was a Calvinist on the side of the Orange governor.

Geurt van Beuningen married Eva Appel man with whom he had the son Dirk ( 1588-1648 ). This married Catharina Burgh, sister of Mayor Albert Burgh. Dirk van Beuningen worked as a grain merchant in trade between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Levant. Also his brother- Reynier Reael involved in this trade. Dirk's son was the diplomat and Regent Coenraad van Beuningen.