No. 1184
Rustamji Manekji
1635-1721Merchant and shipbuilderAsia · 1635Most named place: Surat
Rustamji Manekji was born in Surat in 1635 into a priestly family but had pursued a business career and had become a leading Parsi merchant in the 17th century Surat.
Before 1681 Rustamji Manekji was a broker to the Dutch, and from then on figured prominently as a broker to the Portuguese and the New English Company. For the Portuguese he worked as an agent in Surat for issuing passports to Indian ships and also to act as their attorney (Vakil) in their relations with the Mughal government in the city. However, his wealth was accumulated by his involvement in trade and shipbuilding, He died in 1721 and his three sons carried on the family business after him.
