Johan van Angelbeek | |
|---|---|
 Drawing of van Angelbeek from the Journal of theDutch Burgher Union of Ceylon, 1916 | |
| Governor of Dutch India | |
| In office 1787–1794 | |
| 36th Governor of Ceylon | |
| In office 15 July 1794 – 16 February 1796 | |
| Preceded by | Willem Jacob van de Graaf |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished Succeeded byBritish governors of Ceylon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1727 |
| Died | 2 September 1799 (aged 72) |
| Spouse | Jacomina Lever |
| Children | Christina Elizabeth van Angelbeek, Christiaan van Angelbeek |
Johan Gerard van Angelbeek (1727 – 2 September 1799)[1] was a Dutch colonial officer who commanded Dutch forces on the island ofCeylon during the colony's final year in theDutch Empire before its seizure by a British expeditionary force.
Van Angelbeek was born inEast Frisia in 1727 and in 1751 left the Netherlands for the East, in the ship "Schakenbos",[2] travelling toIndia andBatavia and returning to the Netherlands in 1755. In 1756, he joined theDutch East India Company returning to the Indian Ocean and serving as a merchant at Batavia and inBengal. In 1764 he took an official position in the capital of Dutch Ceylon atColombo and in 1767 moved to the port ofTuticorin in India, serving as Koopman and eventually becoming senior official of the port in 1770, retaining the position until 1783.[3]
In 1783, Van Angelbeek was made governor ofMalabar, and in 1787 was appointed as the governor of allDutch India. In 1794, during theFrench Revolutionary Wars, Van Angelbeek took command of the Dutch colony of Ceylon, and was in command when a British expeditionary force arrived the following year. Most of the Dutch ports fell rapidly, Colombo the last to surrender in February 1796. He remained in Colombo during the British occupation, dying in 1799. He was the last Dutch governor of the colony as the British retained it for 152 years. He was married to Jacomina Lever and had two children, both his son Christian and his son-in-lawWillem Jacob van de Graaf, husband of his daughter Christina Elisabeth van Angelbeek,[4] were prominent in the administration of the Dutch Indian Ocean colonies.[3]
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Governor of Dutch Ceylon 1787–1794 | Succeeded by Post abolished Succeeded byBritish governors of Ceylon |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
