Jan Bernd Bicker

Jan Bernd Bicker was a Dutch merchant, politician and a member of the powerful patrician Bicker family.

Jan was born in 1746 into the family of the banker and merchant of Amsterdam. After he completed his study of philosophy and law in Utrecht, he was employed as a merchant in “Andries Pels and Sons and Bicker and Co.” based in Amsterdam.

During his career Bicker was appointed governor of the Amsterdam Chamber of the Dutch West India Company (1774), a director of the Society of Suriname, a Dutch private company for governorship of the Dutch colony of Suriname (1782-1785). Bicker was also interested in public life – from 1772 until 1787 he was an alderman of Amsterdam, and from 1781 to 1787 he was a member of the town’s council. He also served as representative in the States General in Hague in 1786, and a member of the Batavian Republic's executive organ, the Staatsbewind from 1803 to 1805.

He died in 1812 in Wassenaar, in the western Netherlands.