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Objective

This project provides an overview of notable, direct descendants of New Amsterdam immigrants (1609-1674).

Wikipedia provides an interesting overview of famous Americans of Dutch descent. On this Geni page, we focus only on direct descendants from the 1609-1674 immigration (not necessarily of Dutch origin).

Famous New Amsterdam descendants

Politics

• Jacqueline Kennedy (Bouvier) ~> Antony Jansen “du Turck” van Salee
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt, US President & Eleanor Roosevelt, 29th First Lady of the United States , his distant cousin & wife. Eleanor is also a De Peyster
• Theodore Roosevelt, US President
• Martin Van Buren, US President
• Hamilton Fish, 26th US Secretary of State ~• a Beekman
• Edward Livingston, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State ~• descent from Beekman
• Samuel Thomas Hauser, 7th Governor of Montana Territory ~• descent from Augustine Herman (lobbied for the creation of Yellowstone Park)
• Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States ~• descent from Augustine Herman
• John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of US Supreme Court ~•descent from Van Cortland
• Col. James De Lancey, Acting Governor of New York ~•descent from Van Cortland, too
• Duncan Clinch Heyward, Gov. of South Carolina from Leisler

Media & Entertainment

• Humphrey Bogart, actor
• Marlon Brando, actor
• Walter Cronkite, journalist
• Cecil B. DeMille, film director
• Nelson Eddy , singer and Movie star descent from Grevenraet and others. His middle name was Ackerman
• Henry Fonda, actor
• Jane Fonda, actress
• Peter Fonda, actor
• Dennis Hopper, actor
• Bruce Springsteen, singer
• Rory McEwen ~• singer descent from Beekman

Business

• John Jacob Astor, IV , business man who died on the Titanic ~•descent from Van Cortland
• Henry Rutgers, philanthropist and benefactor to Rutgers University
• Carlos Van Buren Vallejo Chilean banker ~• Jan Dircksen Meyer (and others)
• Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, philanthropist and sportsman
• Cornelius Vanderbilt, shipping and railroad magnate
• Jacob Aaron Westervelt, shipbuilder and politician

Science

• Myndert Van Schaick, founder of New York University

Arts & Literature

• Keith Haring, artist and social activist
• John Updike, novelist and poet

Education

• Patroon General Stephen Van Rensselaer, III , founded RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) ~•descent from Van Cortland
• Egerton Ryerson for whom Ryerson University is named

Military

Sports