c. 1612-1672
Biography:
Pieter Stuyvesant (c. 1612 – August 1672), known as
Pitrus, served as the last
Dutch Director-General of the
colony of
New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed
New York. He was a major figure in the early
history of New York City.
Stuyvesant's accomplishments as director-general included a great expansion for the settlement of
New Amsterdam beyond the southern tip of
Manhattan. Among the projects built by Stuyvesant's administration were the protective wall on
Wall Street, the canal that became
Broad Street, and
Broadway.
Although he is most commonly referred to in modern English as "Peter Stuyvesant", that name is not found in historical records