Andries Bicker
| Andries Bicker | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Regent and Mayor of Amsterdam | |
|
In office 1627–1650 |
|
| Preceded by | Jacob de Graeff Dircksz. |
| Succeeded by | Cornelis de Graeff |
| President of the Dutch East Indies Company | |
| Succeeded by | Cornelis de Graeff |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Political party | States Faction |
| Spouse(s) | Catharina Gansneb von Tengnagel |
| Relations |
Cornelis Bicker (brother) Jan Bicker (brother) Cornelis de Graeff (cousin) Andries de Graeff (cousin) Johan de Witt (nephew) Cornelis de Witt (nephew) |
| Children | Gerard |
| Residence | Herengracht, Amsterdam, castle Engelenburg near Brummen |
| Occupation | Regent / Mayor and Landlord |
| Profession | merchant |
| Religion | Arminians/Remonstrants |
Andries Bicker (1586 in Amsterdam – 24 June 1652 in Amsterdam?) was a wealthy merchant on Russia, a member of the vroedschap, the leader of the Arminians, an administrator of the VOC, representative of the States-General of the Netherlands and colonel in the Civic guard. He controlled the city's politics in close cooperation with his uncle Jacob Dircksz de Graeff and his brother Cornelis Bicker.
The Bicker family was one of the oldest patrician families of Amsterdam - consisting of Andries' father Gerrit, a grain merchant and beer brewer, and his three brothers, Jacob, Jan and Cornelis, had a firm grip on world trade, trading on the East, the West, the North and the Mediterranean. (His uncle Laurens Bicker was one of the first to trade on Guinea and seized four Portuguese ships in 1604). In 1646, seven members of the Bicker family, called the Bicker's league, simultaneously held some political position or other. The Bickers provided silver and ships to Spain, and were very much interested in ending the Eighty Years War. This brought them in conflict with the stadtholder, some provinces, like Zeeland and Utrecht, and the Reformed preachers.
Andries became a member of the vroedschap in 1616, in 1620 schepen of Amsterdam and in 1627, just over forty, mayor of Amsterdam. He came to the fore through his knowledge and moderation. In 1627, he was delegated to go to Sweden and Poland, to close negotiations between these two countries, mediate a peace (culminating in the Treaty of Sztumska Wieś) and at the same time set up new Baltic trade agreements. In 1631 he was the owner of a few plots in Spanderswoud in 's-Graveland, the site where now the fine Trompenburgh house stands. The Bicker family also had concerns in peat-digging in Drenthe.
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Wikipedia