Exploring Dutch Heritage Through Research 

Exploring Dutch Heritage Through Research 

Biographies

Total 366 Contents

Abraham Pais (1918–2000) was a Dutch-American theoretical physicist and science historian who made important contributions to particle physics and later became known for his influential biographies of leading physicists, including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Colonel Tom Parker (1909–1997), born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in the Netherlands, was the longtime manager of Elvis Presley and one of the most influential figures in popular music management. His aggressive promotion helped turn Presley into a global superstar.

Alfred Peet (1920–2007) was a Dutch-American coffee roaster and entrepreneur who helped launch the American specialty coffee movement. Founder of Peet’s Coffee & Tea in Berkeley in 1966, he influenced the founders of Starbucks and transformed U.S. coffee culture.

William Kaiser Van Pelt (1905–1996) was an American businessman and Republican politician who represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1951 to 1965. Before his congressional career, he owned and operated the City Fuel Company in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

William Penn (1644–1718) was an English Quaker leader and colonial proprietor who founded the Province of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia. His colony became known for religious freedom, democratic governance, and peaceful relations with Native Americans.

David H. Petraeus (b. 1952) is a retired four-star U.S. Army general and former Director of the CIA. He commanded coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and is known for shaping modern counterinsurgency strategy during the Iraq War.

John Watts de Peyster (1821–1907) was an American military historian, philanthropist, and New York militia officer who was later breveted major general. Though not a battlefield commander, he influenced Civil War tactics through his writings and supported many historical and educational institutions.

Alvin Plantinga (b. 1932) is an American philosopher known for influential work in philosophy of religion, epistemology, and metaphysics. A longtime professor at the University of Notre Dame, he is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary Christian philosophers.

Leon Plantinga (b. 1935) is an American musicologist and pianist known for his scholarship on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European music. A longtime professor at Yale University, he authored the influential textbook Romantic Music and studies on Clementi, Schumann, and Beethoven.

Cornelius Plantinga Jr. (b. 1946) is an American theologian and scholar of Reformed theology who served as president of Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is known for influential writings on sin, Christian worship, and theology.

WHAT WAS NEW NETHERLAND?


About New Netherland Institute

For over three decades, NNI has helped cast light on America's Dutch roots. In 2010, it partnered with the New York State Office of Cultural Education to establish the New Netherland Research Center, with matching funds from the State of the Netherlands. NNI is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.