Albert Geelvinck

Albert Geelvinck (25 August 1647, Amsterdam - 27 September 1693, Amsterdam) was a Dutch lawyer who followed his father as a member in Amsterdam's vroedschap. He was the son of Cornelis Geelvinck, an influential Amsterdam mayor. The family Geelvinck had acquired their wealth through merchant shipping on the Levant, Africa, Surinam and the West Indies and produced five burgomasters (mayors) in the 17th and 18th century.

Albert started working in the city administration, in the WIC and but died too early to become a burgomaster. In 1680 he married Sara Hinlopen, daughter of Jan Jacobszoon Hinlopen. In 1687 the couple moved into their brand new mansion on the Herengracht. In the same year Albert Geelvinck bought an allotment from his neighbours to extend the garden to the Keizersgracht and had a coach house annex warehouse built, now the entrance of the Museum Geelvinck-Hinlopen. In 1690 he was appointed as a administrator of the Society of Surinam. In 1692, he was involved in shipping 500 slaves from Angola to Surinam, worth 200 guilders each. [December, 30, 1692, not. Pelgrom] In those years the WIC could not provide sufficient workers for the plantations. When Albert Geelvinck died in 1693, the house, more than 800m² (8600ft²) was estimated to be worth 24.000 guilders. Geelvinck also owned bonds on the VOC, a country house in 's-Graveland, properties on the island Texel, in the polder Zijpe and paid fifty guilders a year for a life-annuity on Lucia Wijbrants. [GAA 5046, reg. 7, Coll. Successie, 10/2/1693, f. 281-284v. ] Albert was succeeded in politics by his older brother Joan. On April 26, 1695 the widow married Jacob Bicker, his cousin; 18 years older and even richer than Albert had been.

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