# List of colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast

This article lists the colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast. During the Dutch presence on the Gold Coast, which lasted from 1598 to 1872, the title of the head of the colonial government changed several times:
* 1675–1798: Director-General (Dutch: directeur-generaal)
* 1798–1810: Governor-General (Dutch: gouverneur-generaal)
* 1810–1815: Commandant-General (Dutch: commandant-generaal)
* 1815–1819: Governor-General (Dutch: gouverneur-generaal)
* 1819–1838: Commander (Dutch: kommandeur)
* 1838–1872: Governor (Dutch: gouverneur)

## List

Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.

### Direct Dutch rule (1612–1621)

Before the establishment of the Dutch West India Company on 3 June 1621, Dutch traders nominally were at the direct control of the Dutch government. Initially, the regulation of trade was left to the traders themselves, but after the building of Fort Nassau at Mouri in 1612, a general was installed to administrate the new colony.
| Name | Title | Took office | Left office |
| Jacob Adriaensz Clantius | General of the Coast | 1612 | 1614 |
| A.J. Roest | General of the Coast | 1614 | ? |
| Arent Jacobzen van Amersfoort | General of the Coast | ? | ? |

### Dutch West India Company rule (1621–1791)

There are many lists available of Director-Generals of the Gold Coast in service of the Dutch West India Company, all with slightly conflicting names and dates. The most accurate information is available for the eighteenth century, as Harvey Feinberg compiled a list of Director-Generals of that century on the basis of day registries available at the Nationaal Archief.
| Name | Title | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Arent Jacobsz. van Amersfoort | Director-General | 1624 | 1631 | Based at Fort Nassau, Mouri |
| Jan Jochemsz. Sticker | Director-General | 1631 | 1635 | Based at Fort Nassau, Mouri |
| Pompeius de la Sale | Director-General | 1635 | 1637 | Based at Fort Nassau, Mouri |
| Nicolaes van Yperen | Director-General | 1637 | 18 July 1639 | Based at Fort George, Elmina, from 1637 |
| Arend Jacobszoon Montfort | Director-General | 18 July 1639 | 6 January 1641 | |
| Jacob Ruychaver | Director-General | 6 January 1641 | 18 December 1645 | 1st term |
| Jacob van der Wel | Director-General | 18 December 1645 | 9 April 1650 | |
| Hendrik Doedens | Director-General | 9 April 1650 | 11 June 1650 | |
| Arent Cocq | Governor | 11 June 1650 | 15 March 1651 | |
| Jacob Ruychaver | Director-General | 15 March 1651 | 24 January 1656 | 2nd term |
| Johannes van Valkenburgh | Director-General | 24 January 1656 | 27 April 1659 | 1st term |
| Jasper van Heussen | Director-General | 27 April 1659 | 7 April 1662 | |
| Dirck Wilré | Director-General | 7 April 1662 | 23 December 1662 | 1st term |
| Johannes van Valkenburgh | Director-General | 23 December 1662 | 2 June 1667 | 2nd term |
| Huybert van Ongerdonk | Governor | 2 June 1667 | 12 December 1668 | |
| Dirck Wilré | Director-General | 12 December 1668 | 12 June 1675 | 2nd term |
| Johan Root | Director-General | 12 June 1675 | 13 September 1676 | |
| Abraham Meermans | Director-General | 13 September 1676 | 26 March 1680 | |
| Daniël Verhoutert | Director-General | 26 March 1680 | 10 April 1682 | |
| Thomas Ernsthuys | Director-General | 10 April 1682 | 28 June 1684 | |
| Nikolas de Sweerts | Director-General | 15 July 1685 | 29 January 1690 | |
| Joël Smits | Director-General | 29 January 1690 | 25 March 1694 | |
| Jan Staphorst | Director-General | 25 March 1694 | 9 June 1696 | |
| Joan van Sevenhuijsen | Director-General | 9 June 1696 | 16 May 1702 | |
| Willem de la Palma | Director-General | 16 May 1702 | 17 October 1705 | Died in office |
| Pieter Nuyts | Director-General | 23 October 1705 | 26 September 1708 | Died in office |
| Henrico van Wesel | Governor | 26 September 1708 | 13 July 1709 | |
| Adriaan Schoonheijd | Director-General | 13 July 1709 | 15 March 1711 | Died in office |
| Hieronimus Haring | Director-General | 16 March 1711 | 12 May 1716 | |
| Abraham Engelgraaf-Robbertszoon | Director-General | 12 May 1716 | 11 March 1718 | |
| Willem Butler | Director-General | 12 March 1718 | 25 September 1722 | |
| Abraham Houtman | Director-General | 25 September 1722 | 17 May 1723 | Died in office |
| Mattheus de Crane | Governor | 17 May 1723 | 14 December 1723 | |
| Pieter Valkenier | Director-General | 14 December 1723 | 6-7 March 1727 | |
| Robert Norre | Director-General | 7 March 1727 | 6 March 1730 | |
| Jan Pranger | Director-General | 6 March 1730 | 13 March 1734 | |
| Antonius van Overbeke | Director-General | 13 March 1734 | 2 April 1736 | Died in office |
| Martinus François de Bordes | Director-General | 7 April 1736 | 16 March 1740 | Died in office |
| François Barovius | Governor | 17 March 1740 | 8 March 1741 | |
| Baron Jacob de Petersen | Director-General | 8 March 1741 | 10-12 April 1747 | |
| Jan van Voorst | Director-General | 10-12 April 1747 | 14 July 1754 | |
| Nicolas Mattheus van der Nood de Gietere | Director-General | 14 July 1754 | 24 October 1755 | Died in office |
| Roelof Ulzen | Governor | 24 October 1755 | 15 January 1758 | |
| Lambert Jacob van Tets | Director-General | 15 January 1758 | 12 March 1758 | Died in office |
| Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper | President of the Council | 22 March 1758 | 5 October 1760 | 1st Term |
| David Pieter Erasmie | Director-General | 5 October 1760 | 19 July 1763 | Died in office |
| Hendrick Walmbeek | Governor | 24 July 1763 | 10 September 1764 | |
| Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper | Director-General | 10 September 1764 | 11 July 1767 | 2nd Term; died in office |
| Willem Sulyard van Leefdael and Cornelis Klok | President of the Council | 11 July 1767 | 27 August 1767 | Both acting ad interim until Woortman arrived at Elmina |
| Pieter Woortman | Director-General | 27 August 1767 | 14 April 1780 | Died in office |
| Jacobus van der Puije | President of the Council | 10 May 1780 | 30 December 1780 | |
| Pieter Volkmar | Director-General | 30 December 1780 | 12 March 1784 | |
| Gilles Servaas Galle | President of the Council | 15 March 1784 | 14 February 1785 | 1st Term |
| Adolph Thierens | Director-General | 14 February 1785 | 26 May 1786 | Died in office |
| Gilles Servaas Galle | President of the Council | 2 June 1786 | 24 August 1787 | 2nd Term; died in office |
| Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp | President of the Council | 27 August 1787 | 11-14 March 1790 | 1st Term |
| Jacobus Adriaan de Veer | Director-General | 11-14 March 1790 | 31 December 1791 | Dutch West India Company liquidated 31 December 1791 |

### Direct Dutch rule (1792–1872)

The Dutch West India Company was dissolved in 1791, and its colonies reverted to the rule of the States-General of the Dutch Republic on 1 January 1792. The last Director-General installed by the Dutch West India Company, Jacobus de Veer, became the first Director-General under the direct authority of the Dutch Republic. The Dutch Republic was succeeded by the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of Holland, which all inherited the rule over the colony.
Although the Kingdom of Holland was incorporated into the First French Empire, the colony on the Gold Coast was never occupied by either France or Great-Britain. Dutch rule continued under the Kingdom of the Netherlands proclaimed in 1815, until the cession of the possessions on the Gold Coast to the United Kingdom in 1872.
| Title | Portrait | Name | Tenure | Tenure |
| Title | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office |
| Director-General | | Jacobus Adriaan de Veer | 1 January 1792 | 5 May 1794 |
| – | | Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp | 5 May 1794 | 10 January 1795 |
| Governor | | Otto Arnoldus Duim | 10 January 1795 | 2 June 1796 |
| – | | Lieve van Bergen van der Grijp | 2 June 1796 | 21 August 1796 |
| Director-General | | Gerhardus Hubertus van Hamel | 21 August 1796 | 1 May 1798 |
| Governor-General | | Cornelius Ludwich Bartels Promoted to Governor-General on 12 August 1801 | 8 May 1798 | 28 April 1804 |
| – | | Isaac de Roever | 28 April 1804 | 15 June 1805 |
| Governor-General | | Pieter Linthorst Acting until 5 August 1805 | 16 June 1805 | 21 July 1807 |
| – | | Johannes Petrus Hoogenboom | 21 July 1807 | 11 August 1808 |
| – | | Jan Frederik König | 12 August 1808 | 5 March 1810 |
| Commandant-General | | Abraham de Veer | 5 March 1810 | 11 March 1816 |
| Governor-General | | Herman Willem Daendels | 11 March 1816 | 2 May 1818 |
| Commander | | Frans Christiaan Eberhard Oldenburg Acting until 1 November 1819 | 2 May 1818 | 2 January 1820 |
| – | | Johannes Oosthout | 10 January 1820 | 29 August 1821 |
| – | | Friedrich Last | 31 August 1821 | 14 February 1822 |
| – | | Librecht Jan Temminck | 14 February 1822 | 6 June 1822 |
| Commander | | Willem Poolman | 6 June 1822 | 14 June 1823 |
| – | | Hendrik Adriaan Mouwe | 27 June 1823 | 11 February 1824 |
| – | | Johan David Carel Pagenstecher | 17 February 1824 | 24 February 1824 |
| – | | Friedrich Last | 24 February 1824 | 3 January 1826 |
| – | | Jacobus van der Breggen Paauw | 3 January 1826 | 26 November 1827 |
| Commander | | Friedrich Last | 26 November 1827 | 28 April 1832 |
| – | | Jan Tieleman Jacobus Cremer | 28 April 1832 | 1 July 1832 |
| – | | Eduard Daniel Leopold van Ingen | 1 July 1832 | 16 March 1833 |
| – | | Martinus Swarte | 29 March 1833 | 11 May 1833 |
| Commander | | Christiaan Lans | 11 May 1833 | 2 December 1836 |
| – | | Hendrik Tonneboeijer | 2 December 1836 | 28 October 1837 |
| – | | Anthony van der Eb | 29 October 1837 | 5 August 1838 |
| Governor | | Hendrik Bosch | 5 August 1838 | 7 March 1840 |
| Governor | | Anthony van der Eb | 11 March 1840 | 9 June 1846 |
| – | | Willem George Frederik Derx Acting during the European leave of Van der Eb | 9 June 1846 | 10 July 1847 |
| Governor | | Anthony van der Eb Resumed office upon return from Europe | 10 July 1847 | 21 September 1852 |
| Governor | | Hero Schomerus Acting until 20 January 1853 | 21 September 1852 | 25 September 1856 |
| – | | Petrus Jacobus Runckel | 25 September 1856 | 6 November 1856 |
| – | | Willem George Frederik Derx | 6 November 1856 | 29 April 1857 |
| Governor | | Jules van den Bossche | 29 April 1857 | 9 September 1857 |
| Governor | | Cornelis Nagtglas Acting until 21 June 1858 | 9 September 1857 | 7 May 1860 |
| – | | Cornelis Meeuwsen Acting during the European leave of Nagtglas | 7 May 1860 | 21 January 1861 |
| Governor | | Cornelis Nagtglas Resumed office upon return from Europe | 21 January 1861 | 23 June 1862 |
| Governor | | Henri Alexander Elias | 18 October 1862 | 12 March 1864 |
| – | | Carel van Hien Acting during the European leave of Elias | 12 March 1864 | 13 June 1864 |
| – | | Hendrik Doijer Acting during the European leave of Elias | 13 June 1864 | 7 December 1864 |
| Governor | | Henri Alexander Elias Resumed office upon return from Europe | 7 December 1864 | 4 May 1865 |
| – | | Arent Magnin | 4 May 1865 | 19 February 1866 |
| Governor | | Willem Hendrik Johan van Idsinga | 19 February 1866 | 17 April 1867 |
| Governor | | George Pieter Willem Boers | 17 April 1867 | 15 May 1869 |
| Governor | | Cornelis Nagtglas | 15 May 1869 | 8 June 1871 |
| – | | Jan Albert Hendrik Hugenholtz | 8 June 1871 | 17 September 1871 |
| – | | Johannes Wirix | 17 September 1871 | 28 October 1871 |
| – | | Willem Le Jeune | 28 October 1871 | 15 November 1871 |
| Lieutenant Governor | | Jan Helenus Ferguson | 15 November 1871 | 6 April 1872 |