Jan Wolters van de Poll

Jan Wolters Comte de l'Empire van de Poll (born June 2, 1759 in Amsterdam , † January 30, 1826 there ) was a Dutch-French politician and nobleman.

Life

Jan Wolters came from the Van de Polls , a leading Amsterdam patrician family . He was a son of Jacobus van de Poll and Cornelia Jacoba Wolters, after whose death he inherited their extensive art collection. Van de Poll married Bregje Agatha Baronesse de Smeth van Deurne (1760-1823) and lived in the townhouses at Herengracht 48, 435, 440 and 537. After studying law at the University of Leiden , he became one of the headmasters ( Bewindhebber ) in 1785 of the Dutch West India Company . In the same year he was appointed director of the Suriname Law Firm , which he held until 1795. In 1787 he joined the Amsterdam city government as a member of the Vroedschaps . In the revolutionary year 1795 Van de Poll was deposed from this office. In 1806 he became politically active again when he became a member of the government council Wetgevend lichaam .

In 1808, on the decision of this body, he was appointed mayor of Amsterdam. Van de Poll maintained a close friendship with the French ambassador. Van de Poll, who did not think of the possibility of the independence of the Kingdom of Holland , tried to bring the country closer to France. On the initiative of King Louis Bonaparte , Van de Poll was removed from his mayorship; A short time later, however, it was confirmed again by Napoleon Bonaparte . In 1811 Van de Poll finally resigned from this office. On December 30, 1810, Van de Poll was appointed Senator of the Empire by Napoleon , with which the title of Count ( Comte de l'Empire ) was connected. Van de Poll moved to Paris. After Dutch independence was regained in 1814, he returned to his homeland, where he died in 1826. His (French) title of count was not recognized by the new Dutch King Wilhelm I , so it was lost to the Van de Poll family.

Trivia

Van de Poll owned the Jagtlust country house in De Bilt and, from 1797, the adjoining Ekelestein house .

source

• Nieuw Nederlandsch biographically woordenboek. Deel 10

literature

• M. Sluyser & Fred. Thomas: Twaalf burgemeesters, vijf honderd jaar Amsterdam , published by Andries Blitz, 1939
• AM Elias en Paula CM Schölvinck met medewerking van H. Boels: Volksrepresentanten en wetgevers, De politieke elite in de Bataafs-Franse tijd 1796-1810 , Amsterdam, 1991