Hendrik Godfried Duurkoop

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Hendrik Godfried Duurkoop (May 5, 1736, Dornum - July 27, 1778, at sea) was a Dutch merchant-trader and diplomat. During his career with the Dutch East Indies Company (the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC), he worked in Africa and East Asia.

Duurkoop took up his duties as Opperhoofd or chief negotiant and officer of the VOC trading post or "factory" at Dejima island in the harbor of Nagasaki, Japan in November 1776.

During a visit to Batavia, he was infected with malaria; and he died on board the ship "Huis ter Spijk" en route back to Japan in 1778.^[1] His death meant that Arend Willem Feith could not be relieved of his duties as Opperhoofd at Dejima for yet another year when Isaac Titsingh would eventually arrive in 1779.

[edit] References

^ Screech, Timon. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns, Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822, p. 5.

Dornum-Aurich Lutheran Church Archives. Taufregister Dornum 1736. Dornum.
Netherlands National Archives. Scheepssoldijboek "Overnes" 1754/5. Den Haag.
Netherlands National Archives. Rollen gekwalificeerde Civiele Dienaren 1775. .Den Haag
Netherlands National Archives. Day register of the Factory in Japan (Dagregister van de Factorij te Japan). Den Haag.
Screech, Timon. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns, Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822. London: Routledge Curzon.