Jean Hoeufft

Jean Hoeufft (Liège, 1578–Paris, 5 September 1651) was a Dutch banker and arms dealer, who rose through the court of Louis XIII of France to become Treasurer to Louis XIV.

Hoeufft made a fortune from his diplomatic and business ventures, ultimately becoming one of the richest men in Europe outside of the royal families.

Biography

Early life and career

Jan Hoeufft was born in 1578 in Liège in the Spanish Netherlands to one of the most powerful families of the United Provinces. He did not marry and had no known children.

Hoeufft eventually settled in Rouen, where there was religious freedom for Protestants for a time under Henry IV of France. He was naturalized in 1601.

By 1621 Hoeufft was appointed chamberlain to Louis XIII. In the 1620s he was involved in arms trading

Hoeufft repeatedly advanced funds to the King, and took part in major financial deals. In 1634 Hoeufft participated in peace talks between the Dutch and Spain, in which Jules Mazarin and Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange were also involved. Hoeufft played a key part in diplomatic negotiations, despite having no official authority to do so. was formalized in 1637.

In 1639 his house in Rouen was sacked as part of the religious wars; it is likely he moved to La Rochelle or Paris. In 1643 he obtained the fief Fontaine-le-Comte, a former lake near Sacy-le-Grand.

Hoeufft became treasurer and Secretary to Louis XIV, holding those roles until his death in 1651.

Arms dealer and financier

At the time of the Thirty Years' War, arms dealing was a highly lucrative business in Europe. Hoeufft, described by a contemporary as “‘a man capable of speaking and acting’ as well as ‘[having] money to distribute to people should there be need,’” was well-suited to the job.

Hydraulic engineering

The Hoeufft family invested over a million livres in reclamation of lakes and wetlands in Picardie, Poitou and other parts of France. For the most part this work was carried out between 1642 and 1653 by Dutch engineers, such as .

In 1736 Hoeufft's property at Petit Poitou was sold at Luçon in the Poitevin.