Johann Rudolf Lauffer

Johann Rudolf Lauffer (7 November 1752 – 24 December 1833) was a Swiss soldier, colonial administrator and businessman. He became Director of Curaçao and Dependencies after a military coup d'état on 1 December 1796 and served until 13 January 1803.

Early life Lauffer was born on 7 November 1752 in Zofingen, Aargau, Switzerland. He decided to earn a living in America and signed up as a mercenary with the Dutch West India Company (GWC). In 1774, Lauffer arrived in Curaçao on a salary of eight guilders a month. While in exile, Willem V started writing the Kew Letters to the colonial governors urging them to submit to the British. Governor Johannes de Veer refused to recognize the Batavian Republic, and was replaced by Jan Jacob Beaujon in August 1796. On 14 August, Lauffer was elected by acclamation as the new commander of the Military Committee.

Beaujon appointed J.M. Brunnings, an orangist, as the new secretary which led to a conflict with Lauffer and the patriots (Republicans). On 20 October 1796, the French commander M. Valteau arrived on the island with a defence plan, and Lauffer had taken control of all the military forces including the corps of free blacks and mulattoes. To gain popular support, Beaujon was characterised as an orangist and pro-British and was compared to his brother Antony who had handed Demerara to the British. On 1 December, Lauffer overthrew the government with the military and French troops from Guadelope, and was installed as Director of Curaçao and Dependencies.

To prevent attacks by the British navy, Lauffer ordered the construction of Fort Republiek (now: Fort Oranje Nassau) on Curaçao and Fort Zoutman on Aruba. Even though Curaçao was aligned with France, he tried to keep troops off the islands, and focused on commercial interests.

In 1800, French troops from Guadeloupe landed on Curaçao in order to prevent a possible attack of the British. On 13 January 1803, Lauffer was succeeded by Abraham de Veer, and was ordered to return to the Netherlands. On 12 November 1805, after a court-martial, he was acquitted and honourably discharged, and given a passport for him and his slave Johannes Theodorus.

Later life Lauffer returned to Curaçao, and stayed out of politics for the rest of his life. Lauffer died on 24 December 1833 at his estate of Bleinheim, at the age of 81.