In 1631, Killiaen van Rensselaer founded Rensselaerswijck near Fort Orange, establishing the only successful Dutch patroonship. His private farming colony endured for generations, shaping early New York settlement.
Frederick Van Nuys (1874–1944) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1933 until his death in 1944. Previously a state senator and U.S. attorney, he became a prominent Midwestern political figure during the Roosevelt era.
In 1624, the Dutch built Fort Orange on the mainland near Fort Nassau’s site, securing key fur trade routes. It became the foundation for Albany and a vital hub for beaver exports.
Joe Nieuwendyk (b. 1966) is a Canadian-born professional ice hockey player of Dutch descent who starred in the NHL. A prolific goal scorer, he won three Stanley Cups with three different teams and the 1999 Conn Smythe Trophy.
In 1614, Dutch traders built Fort Nassau on Castle Island for fur trade with inland natives. Despite strategic placement, flooding forced its abandonment by 1618, delaying permanent Dutch settlement.
Ray Noorda (1924–2006) was an American technology executive and entrepreneur known as the “Father of Network Computing.” As CEO of Novell from 1982 to 1994, he transformed the struggling company into a global leader in network software with its NetWare operating system.
In 1633, Dutch forces at House of Hope watched as Englishman William Holmes defied threats and sailed upriver to found Windsor—the first permanent European settlement in Connecticut.
David Van Nostrand (1811–1886) was an American publisher and bookseller who founded the D. Van Nostrand Company in New York in 1848. The firm became a leading publisher of scientific, engineering, and technical works throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The capital city of New York has an unusually patchwork history. Needless to say, the area was under Dutch control before it fell into English hands, but even in the Dutch period there were three distinct entities that vied with one another over territory and rights.
John Peter Van Ness (1770–1846) was an American politician, soldier, and civic leader who served briefly in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York. After moving to Washington, D.C., he became a militia general and later served as mayor of Washington from 1830 to 1834.
