Dirck van Os

Dirck van Os was a Dutch entrepreneur born into an elite mercantile family that was among the initiators of the Compagnie van Verre, the Amsterdam Exchange Bank and the United East India Company (VOC).

Born into an elite family of merchants in Antwerp, van Oss initially served as captain of militia before he moved to Middelburg. Together with his brother Hendrick, Dirck traded in leather, grain and precious stones, and sailed as far as Levant and the cities of the Baltic Sea to obtain commodities. Besides the mercantile affinities, he was also interested in the voyages of exploration and was involved in expedition of Henry Hudson to find an alternative route to the East. After the Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602 Dirck became one of its first directors and the largest investors.

Part of his large incomes Dirck used to purchase land in Beemster.