DUTCH-AMERICANS
Index by Area of Accomplishment
When Dr. Carl Pegels retired as a management professor, he turned his research to prominent Dutch-Americans. His profiles now number around 300. The New Netherland Institute is grateful to Professor Pegels for providing these biographies. In appreciation, NNI awarded him the Alice P. Kenney Memorial Award in 2009.
Get Dr. Pegels' books: Prominent Dutch-American Entrepreneurs (paperback); Dutch-American Achievers: Arts, Sciences and Sports (for Kindle); Dutch-American Achievers: Government, Military, History and Phlisophy (for Kindle).
Please refer questions and comments to Professor Pegels directly.
- Henry Clay Van Voorhis [1852-1927]
Academic/Scholar
- Erik Barnouw [1908-2001]
- David Birkhoff [1884-1944]
- William J. Bouwsma [1923-2004]
- Ivo H. Daalder [1960]
- William Klaas Frankena [1908-1994]
- Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen [1691-1747]
- Roger W. Heyns [1918-1995]
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. [1809-1894]
- Hendrik Samuel Houthakker [1924-2008]
- Arnold John Ferdinand (A.J.F.) Van Laer [1869-1955]
- Richard John Mouw [1940]
- Heiko Augustinus Oberman [1930-2001]
- C. Carl Pegels [1933]
- Alvin C. Plantinga [1937]
- Cornelius Plantinga [1947]
- Leon Plantinga [1936]
- Saskia Sassen [1947]
- Robert P. Swierenga [1935]
- Cornelius van Til [1895-1987]
- Dale K. Vankley [1941]
- Edward Burr van Vleck [1863-1943]
- John Monroe van Vleck [1833-1912]
- David W. Voorhees [1947]
- Frans B. M. de Waal [1948]
- Barrett Wendell [1855-1921]
- Charles W. Wendell [1930-2015]
- Nicholas Wolterstorff [1932]
Arts and Letters
- Van Wyck Brooks [1886-1963]
- Ted Dekker [1962]
- Carl Clinton van Doren [1885-1950]
- Mark van Doren [1894-1972]
- Mona van Duyn [1921-2004]
- Charles Hoyt Fort [1874-1932]
- Bret Harte [1836-1902]
- Jan de Hartog [1914-2002]
- Meindert De Jong [1906-1991]
- Hans Koning [1921-2007]
- Hendrik Willem van Loon [1882-1944]
- Frederick Manfred [1912-1994]
- Herman Melville [1819-1891]
- John Watts de Peyster [1821-1907]
- James Marcus Schuyler [1923-1991]
- Peter Spier [1927]
- Glendon Swarthout [1918-1992]
- John Hoyer Updike [1932-2009]
- Captain Beefheart (Don Glen van Vliet) [1941-2010]
- Peter de Vries [1910-1993]
- Leo Vroman [1915-2014]
- Janwillem van de Wetering [1931-2008]
- Walter (Walt) Whitman [1819-1892]
Astronaut
- Lodewijk van den Berg [1932]
- James Douglas Adrianus van Hoften [1944]
- David Cornell Leestma [1949]
- Jack Robert Lousma [1936]
- Shannon Lucid [1943]
Astronomer
- James van Allen [1914-2006]
- Bart Jan Bok [1906-1983]
- Dirk Brouwer [1902-1966]
- Anton (Tom) Gehrels [1925-2011]
- Gerard Peter Kuiper [1905-1973]
- Willem Jacob Luyten [1899-1994]
- Maarten Schmidt [1929]
College and University Philanthropist
- William F. Hofstra [1861-1932]
- Stephen van Rensselaer III [1765-1839]
- Henry Rutgers [1745-1830]
- Ralph Whitaker Voorhees [1926-2013]
- Ralph Voorhees [1835-1907]
Director of New Netherland
- Willem Kieft [1597-1647]
- Cornelius Jacobsen Mey []
- Peter Minuit [1580-1638]
- Wouter van Twiller [1580-1646]
- Willem Verhulst []
Early Founder/Historic Leader
- Theodore J. van den Broek [1783-1851]
- DeWitt Clinton [1769-1828]
- Jacobus van Cortlandt [1658-1739]
- Philip van Cortlandt [1749-1831]
- Pierre van Cortlandt [1721-1814]
- Stephanus van Cortlandt [1643-1700]
- Willis van Devanter [1859-1941]
- Adriaen van der Donck [1620-1655]
- Peter Gansevoort [1749-1812]
- John Jay [1745-1829]
- John Lansing, Jr. [1754-1829]
- Philip Livingston [1716-1778]
- William Livingston [1723-1790]
- Gouverneur Morris [1752-1816]
- Lewis Morris [1726-1798]
- John Peter van Ness [1770-1846]
- Maria van Cortlandt van Rensselaer [1645-1688]
- Pieter Schuyler [1657-1724]
- Peter Stuyvesant [1610-1672]
Graphic Artist
- Emilie Boon [1959]
- Johan Hagemeyer [1884-1962]
- Anthony B. Heinsbergen [1894-1981]
- Edward Hopper [1882-1967]
- Willem de Kooning [1904-1997]
- Piet Mondrian [1872-1944]
- John Vanderlyn [1776-1852]
- Pieter Vanderlyn [1687-1778]
- Carl van Vechten [1880-1964]
Industrial/Commercial Leader
- Jay van Andel [1924-2004]
- Steve van Andel [1955]
- John Jacob Astor IV [1864-1912]
- Herman Baker [1911-1979]
- Martin Bekins [c. 1860-?]
- Oloff van Cortlandt [1600-1684]
- Richard (Dick) DeVos Jr. [1955]
- Douglas DeVos [1964]
- Richard DeVos [1926]
- Jan Carel Panthaleon Van Eck [1880-1965]
- John C. Van Eck [1915-2014]
- Derek Van Eck [1964-2010]
- Jan F. Van Eck [1963]
- William B. Eerdmans [1880-1966]
- John Henry Hammond II [1910-1987]
- Wayne H. Huizenga [1937]
- Henry Jansen [1918-2002]
- Peter Kiewit [1900-1979]
- Charles G. Koch [1935]
- David Hamilton Koch [1940]
- Fred Chase Koch [1900-1967]
- Frederick Robinson Koch [1932]
- William Ingraham Koch [1940]
- The Kregels [Louis, 1888-1839; Robert 1919-2011]
- Peter Kuyper [1900 - ?]
- Douglas (Doug) Meijer [1955]
- Hendrik Meijer [1883-1964]
- Hendrik G. (Hank) Meijer [1952]
- Frederik G. H. Meijer [1919-2011]
- Mark Meijer [1960]
- David van Nostrand [1811-1886]
- Edgar D. Prince [1931-1995]
- Erik Prince [1969]
- Isaac Roosevelt [1726-1794]
- Cornelius Vanderbilt [1794-1877]
- William Henry Vanderbilt [1821-1885]
- Harold Stirling Vanderbilt [1884-1970]
- Cornelius Vanderbilt II [1843-1899]
- William Kissam Vanderbilt [1849-1920]
- Gary Vermeer [1919-2009]
- Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney [1899-1992]
- Simeon de Witt [1756-1834]
- Bernard (Bernie) Zondervan [1910-1966]
- Peter John (Pat) Zondervan [1909-1993]
Inventor/Developer
- William Van Alen [1883-1954]
- Gilbert C. van Camp, Sr [1830]
- Thomas Alva Edison [1847-1931]
- Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker [1890-1939]
- Lee De Forest [1873-1961]
- Willem Johan Kolff [1911-2009]
- William B. Kouwenhoven [1886-1975]
- David G. Neeleman [1959]
- Raymond (Ray) Noorda [1977-2006]
- Alfred H. Peet [1920-2007]
- Nicholas Roosevelt [1767-1854]
- John Theodore Scheepers [1878-1938]
- Hubert J. P. Schoemaker [1951-2006]
- Cornelius Vanderbilt III [1873-1942]
- Wright Brothers [Orville, 1871-1848; Wilbur 1867-1912]
Later Founder/Leader
- Edward William Bok [1863-1930]
- Samuel Gompers [1850-1924]
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. [1841-1935]
- Isaac Newton van Nuys [1836-1912]
- Albertus Christiaan van Raalte [1811-1876]
- Hendrik Scholte [1805-1868]
- Robert H. Schuller [1926-2015] [1926]
Military Leader
- James Henry Van Alen [1819-1886]
- Theodorus Bailey [1805-1877]
- Abraham Ten Broeck [1734-1810]
- John L. DeWitt [1880-1947]
- James Alward van Fleet [1892-1992]
- Michael T. Franken [c.1960]
- John Frederick Frelinghuysen [1776-1883]
- Schuyler Hamilton [1822-1903]
- Henry S. Huidekoper [1839-1918]
- James Longstreet [1821-1904]
- David H. Petraeus [1952]
- Henry Bell van Rensselaer [1810-1864]
- Henry Killian Van Rensselaer [1744-1816]
- Robert Van Rensselaer [1740-1802]
- Stephen Van Rensselaer IV [1789-1868]
- Elliott Roosevelt [1910-1990]
- Theodore Roosevelt Jr. [1887-1944]
- Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. [1831-1878]
- Gozen van Schaick [1736-1789]
- James Findlay Schenck [1807-1882]
- Philip John Schuyler [1733-1804]
- Cortlandt Van Rensselaer (Cort) Schuyler [1900-1993]
- Alexander A. Vandegrift [1887-1973]
- Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg, Sr. [1899-1954]
- Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg, Jr. [1928]
- Daniel Van Voorhis [1878-1956]
- James E. van Zandt [1898-1986]
Nobel Laureate
- Nicolaas Bloembergen [1920]
- Peter Joseph William Debye [1884-1966]
- Tjalling Charles Koopmans [1910-1985]
- Martinus Justinus Godefriedus Veltman [1931]
- John Hasbrouck van Vleck [1899-1980]
Notable Dutch-American
- James John Van Alen [1848-1923]
- Angelica Schuyler Church [1756-1814]
- Angelica Schuyler Church [1756-1814]
- J. Dewey Daane [1918-2017]
- Henry van Dyke [1852-1933]
- Frederick Franck [1909-2006]
- Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton [1757-1854]
- Fay Hartog-Levin [1948]
- William J. vanden Heuvel [1930]
- Katrina vanden Heuvel [1959]
- John Hospers [1918-1972]
- Harry Koch [1867-1942]
- Bert Langerwerf [1944-2008]
- William Penn [1644-1718]
- Sarah Rapalje [1625-1685]
- Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema [1917-2007]
- Margarita (Peggy) Schuyler [1758-1801]
- Benjamin Spock [1903-1998]
- Gloria Laura Vanderbilt [1924]
- Cornelius Vanderbilt IV [1898-1974]
- Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt [1880-1925]
- Ann M. Veneman [1949]
- Jan Vigne [1624-1689]
- Foster McGowan Voorhees [1856-1927]
- Tracy Stebbins Voorhees [1890-1974]
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney [1875-1942]
Professional Sports Figure
- James Henry van Alen [1902-1991]
- George H. Allen [1918-1990]
- Rik Aalbert (Bert) Blyleven [1951]
- Willem Hendrik (Butch) van Breda Kolff [1922-2007]
- Stephen (Steve) W. Van Buren [1920-2012]
- Dan Bylsma [1970]
- Amy van Dyken [1973]
- Leonard Kyle (Lenny) Dykstra [1963]
- James Lee (Jim) Kaat [1938]
- Arie Luyendyk [1953]
- Mark Mulder [1977]
- Joe Nieuwendyk [1966]
- John van Ryn [1905-1994]
- Rik Smits [1966]
- Erik Spoelstra [1971]
- Watson Spoelstra [1910-1999]
- Eric Craig Staal [1984]
- Jordan Staal [1988]
- Jared Staal [1990]
- Marc Staal [1987]
- John Vanbiesbrouck [1963]
- Michael Vanderjagt [1970]
- Tiger Woods [1975]
- Stephen Gregory (Steve) Yzerman [1965]
Research Physicist
- Samuel Abraham Goudsmit [1902-1978]
- Robert Jemison van de Graaff [1901-1967]
- Abraham (Bram) Pais [1918-2000]
Stage and Screen Performer
- June Allyson [1917-2006]
- Humphrey Deforest (Humphrey) Bogart [1899-1957]
- Marlon Brando [1924-2004]
- Cornelius Crane (Chevy) Chase [1943]
- Clarence Leroy (Lee) Van Cleef [1925-1989]
- Montgomery (Monty) Clift [1920-1966]
- Richard Wayne (Dick) van Dyke [1925]
- Clinton (Clint) Eastwood [1930]
- Nina Foch [1924-2008]
- Henry Jaynes Fonda [1905-1982]
- Jane Seymour Fonda [1937]
- Peter Fonda [1940]
- Bridget Fonda [1964]
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar [1974]
- Elizabeth Ruth (Betty) Grable [1916-1973]
- Richard Hageman [1881-1966]
- Alexander Arthur (Alex) van Halen [1953]
- Edward Lodewijk (Eddie) van Halen [1955]
- John Paul Hammond [1942]
- Rutger O. Hauer [1944]
- Audrey Hepburn [1929-1993]
- Famke Janssen [1965]
- Jessica Phyllis Lange [1949]
- Leighton Marissa Meester [1986]
- Rebecca Romijn [1972]
- Jane Seymour [1951]
- Bruce Frederick Joseph (Bruce) Springsteen [1949]
- Mary Steenburgen [1953]
- Mary Louise (Meryl) Streep [1949]
- Lou Telgen [1881-1934]
- Shirley Temple [1928-2014]
- Charlize Theron [1975]
- Loudon Wainwright III [1946]
- Jane W. Wyatt [1910-2006]
- John Townes van Zandt [1944-1997]
- Steven Van Zandt [1950]
- William (Billy) Van Zandt [1957]
- Dean Zanuck [1972]
Stage/Screen Director/Producer
- James Van Der Beek [1977]
- Cecil Blount (Cecil B.) DeMille [1881-1959]
- Rudolph van Gelder [1924-2016]
- Colonel Tom Parker [1909-1997]
- Gus Green van Sant, Jr. [1952]
- Thelma Schoonmaker [1940]
- Leonard Schrader [1943-2006]
- Paul J. Schrader [1946]
- Paul Verhoeven [1938]
- Darryl Frances Zanuck [1902-1979]
- Richard D. Zanuck [1934-2012]
Television and Radio Communication
- Thomas John (Tom) Brokaw [1940]
- Anderson Cooper [1967]
- Walter Leland Cronkite [1916-2009]
- Greta van Susteren [1954]
US Congressman
- James Isaac Van Alen [1772-1822]
- Daniel Myers Van Auken [1826-1908]
- Haramanus Bleecker [1779-1849]
- Henry Roelif Brinkerhoff [1787-1844]
- Jacob Brinkerhoff [1810-1880]
- Aaron Van Schaick Cochrane [1858-1943]
- John Isaac De Graff [1783-1848]
- Gerrit John Diekema [1859-1930]
- Dow Henry Drukker [1872-1963]
- John Van Dyke [1807-1878]
- Carl Chester Van Dyke [1881-1919]
- Vernon J. Ehlers [1934]
- Lucas Conrad Elmendorf [1758-1853]
- Rodney P. Frelinghuysen [1946]
- Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen, Jr. [1916-2011]
- Barent Gardenier [c.1776-1822]
- Peter Hoekstra [1953]
- Christopher van Hollen [1959]
- Burt Van Horn [1823-1896]
- Robert Thompson Van Horn [1824-1916]
- Archibald Van Horne [?-1817]
- Guy Adrian Vander Jagt [1931-2007]
- Herman Knickerbocker [1779-1855]
- Norman F. Lent, Jr. [1931-2012]
- John Moolenaar [1961]
- William Kaiser Van Pelt [1905-1996]
- John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn [1811-1877]
- Jeremiah Van Rensselaer [1738-1810]
- Killian Killian Van Rensselaer [1763-1845]
- Solomon Van Vechten Van Rensselaer [1774-1852]
- Robert B. Roosevelt [1829-1906]
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. [1914-1988]
- James Roosevelt [1907-1991]
- Peter Roskam [1961]
- Isaac Whitbeck Van Schaick [1817-1901]
- Robert Cumming Schenck [1809-1890]
- Abraham Maas Schermerhorn [1791-1855]
- Philp Jeremiah Schuyler [1768-1835]
- Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck [1873-1944]
- Philadelph Van Trump [1819-1874]
- Robert Bruce Van Valkenburgh [1821-1888]
- Richard F. Vander Veen [1922-2006]
- Charles Stewart Voorhees [1853-1909]
- Horace Jeremiah (Jerry) Voorhis [1901-1984]
- Nelson Holmes Van Vorhes [1822-1888]
- William William Van Wyck [1777-1840]
US President (or related person)
- Martin van Buren [1782-1862]
- Hannah Hoes van Buren [1783-1819]
- Schuyler Colfax [1823-1885]
- Eleanor Roosevelt [1884-1962]
- Ellen Roosevelt [1868-1954]
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt [1882-1945]
- Theodore Roosevelt [1858-1919]
US Senator
- Theodorus Bailey [1758-1828]
- Chauncey Mitchell Depew [1834-1928]
- Nicholas van Dyke [1770-1826]
- Frederick Frelinghuysen [1753-1804]
- Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen [1817-1885]
- Joseph Sherman Frelinghuysen [1869-1948]
- Theodore Frelinghuysen [1787-1862]
- Frederick van Nuys [1874-1944]
- Karl Cortlandt Schuyler [1877-1933]
- Arthur Hendrik Vandenberg [1884-1951]
- Daniel Wolsey Voorhees [1827-1897]
- Peter Godwin van Winkle [1808-1872]
- James de Wolf [1764-1837]
- Charles Henry van Wyck [1824-1895]