Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck

Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck was a Dutch noble who was Lord of Sommelsdijk, Plaat, Bommel, and Spijk, and was Marquis of Saint André Montbrun and Ferrassières, France. He was also the first governor of Suriname after the establishment of the Society of Suriname in 1683.

Suriname was under the authority of the Dutch West India Company (WIC) but for the lack of funds the WIC had to enter into a venture with the city of Amsterdam and Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck as a private investor to establish the Society of Suriname. The company became the governing body of the colony in 1683 with Cornelis van Aerssen as its first governor. He was a harsh governor and had relied heavily on forced labor. He even lost his life when a group of disgruntled soldiers and some artisans came to his palace to complain about the forced labor they had to perform. The argument got heated up and Cornelis van Aerssen was shot.