Willem Kieft

Kieft was a Dutch merchant and director general of New Netherland whose decisions led to the outbreak of Kieft's War (1643–1645).

After the bankruptcy of the family business in 1633 Willem began to work for an accountant in La Rochelle, but he left the city and fled to Amsterdam under the accusations of embezzlement. Most likely, he had good connections in Amsterdam that enabled his professional rise that followed.

His career in the Dutch West India Company was apparently more successful, since he was appointed in 1638 director general of its trade colony in America. Keeping the colony thriving economically was his main priority.

After arriving, Willem formed the council of twelve men, which was the first representative body in New Netherland, but he ignored its advice and led the settlement arbitrarily. Relations between local Native Americans and the Dutch, which were mainly peaceful since the founding of New Amsterdam in 1624, gradually began to change during his governance. In order to support the high cost of running the town, he even tried to tax the Indians. Events that followed ultimately led to the outbreak of war which would become known as Kieft's War (1643–1645). For his role in the incident, the company fired him in 1647 and replaced by Peter Stuyvesant.

He died that same year in the shipwreck near Swansea, Wales on the way to Amsterdam to defend himself.