No. 8154
Joan Geelvinck
1644-1707Merchant and politicianEurope · 1644Most named place: Amsterdam
Born as a member of the ruling class of Amsterdam, Joan Geelvinck became a city councilor and colonel in the civic guard before he entered the business world.
In 1688 he was appointed one of the 17 administrators of the Dutch East India Company, and he held that office more than once. He was allowed by the company to baptize the Geelvink, one of the three ships that participated in the exploration of the Australian west coast in 1696. The Geelvink returned to Holland with a cargo of textiles, saltpeter, opium, silk from Bengal and Persia, indigo, cloves and pepper.
The Geelvink Channel on the west coast of Australia, as well as the Geelvink Bay and the Geelvink Islands near Western New Guinea bear its name.
