Christoffel van Swoll | |
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| Governor-General of theDutch East Indies | |
| In office 17 November 1713 – 12 November 1718 | |
| Preceded by | Abraham van Riebeeck |
| Succeeded by | Hendrick Zwaardecroon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1668-04-25)25 April 1668 |
| Died | 12 November 1718(1718-11-12) (aged 50) |
Christoffel van Swoll (25 April 1668 – 12 November 1718) wasGovernor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 17 November 1713 until his death.
He was born in 1668 inAmsterdam as the son of Harmen Stoffelsz. van Swoll, an attendant of theBank of Amsterdam. On 19 December 1683, he left forBatavia on board theJuffrouw Anna as an assistant in the service of theDutch East India Company. He arrived inBatavia on 19 June 1684 and began working in theGeneral Secretariat. He was regularly promoted. In 1686 he was promoted toAccountant, in 1690 toFirst Clerk to the General Secretariat, and in 1691 toBuyer. In 1696, he was appointed asSecretary to the High Government (de Hoge Regering). In 1700 he becameRaad extra-ordinair (Counsellor extraordinary) and President of theCollege van Weesmeesteren (an orphanage). In 1701 he was namedRaad ordinair van Indië (Full Counsellor of the Indies). On 3 May 1703 he became President of theCollege van Schepenen (Aldermen) atBatavia. Following the death of Governor-GeneralAbraham van Riebeeck, the Council (Raad) chosevan Swoll, by a slim majority, as Governor-General (on 17 November 1713). This proposal was sent to the 17 Lords of the Indies (de Heren XVII) on 18 May 1714 who confirmed his appointment in 1715, despite his difficulty character. His honesty was the deciding factor in those times of corruption and maladministration.
As Governor-General, he put a lot of energy into dealing with the private, or unofficial, trade. In this he was not really successful. In general, there was nothing particularly remarkable about his time in office. He was no great promoter of development, such as extending coffee farming. He was also against extending the territory of the Company, because he thought it would then become ungovernable. He suddenly dropped the price the Chinese got for tea by a third. The result was that the trade intea (andporcelain) collapsed for years.[citation needed]
Four years after his provisional appointment as Governor-General, he died inBatavia on 12 November 1718. He was buried in theChurch of the Holy Cross (Kruiskerk). His successor was named asHendrick Zwaardecroon.
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