Peter Stuyvesant Partial Document Signed. 6.15" x 4.75", no place; January 3, 1651. Signed, "P Stuyvesant" beneath six lines of writing in another hand. Also signed by Nicasius de Sille, who served as First Councilor to Stuyvesant. With additional writing on verso, removed from a larger document. A scarce signature in any format. Peter Stuyvesant (1592-1672) was born in the Netherlands and studied philosophy and languages at the University of Franeker. He joined the Dutch West India Company and rose through to ranks, becoming the acting governor of Curaçao, the main Dutch naval base in the West Indies, at just the age of 30. In 1644, during an attack against the Spanish on the island of Saint Martin, Stuyvesant lost his leg below the knee when he was hit by a cannonball, earning him the nicknames "Peg Leg Pete" and "Old Silver Nails". The following year, in 1645, he replaced Willem Kieft as the Director-General of the New Netherland colony, which is now present-day New York City. During his tenure, he aided in expanding the colony and oversaw the construction of the protective wall on Wall Street and the canal that eventually became Broad Street and Broadway. He held the position from 1647 until 1664, when the Dutch colony was seized by the English. Stuyvesant lived out the remainder of his days on his farm just outside the city. Condition: Uneven toning, a bit darker along right margin. Small chip of paper loss at top left, well away from the signature. Tiny separation occurring at center fold at right. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved