Nicolai Esmit
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Nicolai Esmit (also called Nicolai Schmidt) was governor of St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies from July 4, 1680 - November, 1682. He was born in Holstein. His younger brother Adolph Esmit succeeded him as governor of St. Thomas.[1]
According to Dansk Biografisk Lexikon, Esmit served under England on Jamaica after finishing school. He was the only applicant to the position of governor after Jørgen Iversen Dyppel's initial retirement in 1679, and was instated that year.[2]
Esmit appeared to Danish West India Company to be subverting the work of Dyppel, and in 1682 they decided to name a new governor. However, before the transfer of authority could be undertaken, Nicolai's brother Adolph led a revolution that overthrew his authority in 1682.
After managing to espace to Copenhagen, Esmit was put to trial, but was declared insane. The court afforded him damages of 20000 rigsdaler from his brother, but it proved impossible to bring the latter about.[3]
Admiralitetsraad Jens Lassen saw to it that Esmit was paid a meager pension until his death.[4]
| Preceded by Jørgen Iversen Dyppel |
Governor of the Danish West Indies 1680–1682 |
Succeeded by Adolph Esmit |
[edit] Bibliography
- Waldemar Westergaard, The Danish West Indies under Company Rule (1671 - 1754) (MacMillan, New York, 1917)
- C. F. Bricka (editor), Dansk biografisk Lexikon, first edition, 19 volumes, 1887-1905, Vol. IV. Online edition available: http://runeberg.org/dbl/4/ (pages 599 and 600. Numbered as 601 and 602 in the online edition).
