Willem Usselincx

Willem Usselincx (1567–1647) was a Flemish merchant, investor and diplomat who was instrumental in drawing both Dutch and Swedish attention to the importance of the New World. Usselincx was one of the founding fathers of the Dutch West India Company (Dutch: Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie). Usselincx was born in Antwerp, today a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp province in Flanders, one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium. He died around 1647 in complete ruin from investments in the reclaimed Beemster .