Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande

Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande (12 October 1704 – 14 August 1775) was a Dutch governor of the colonies of Essequibo and Demerara from 1743 to 1772.

Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande was born in 's-Hertogenbosch[1] in a patrician family who were hereditary members of the Council of Delft since 1270.

[3] In October 1737, he started to work for the Dutch West India Company (WIC), the governing authority of the western colonies,[4] and was assigned to Fort Zeelandia in Essequibo as a secretary.

[1] The current borders of Guyana as defined by Robert Hermann Schomburgk were mainly based on the reports of the explorations carried out during this period.

[13][14] Storm van 's Gravesande started an Amerindian policy based on respect and friendly relations,[12] and forging alliances with the tribes during times of crisis.

[9] Historians have often praised his rule of the colonies;[16][12] however, his reign was also marked by nepotism by appointing sons and sons-in-laws in important positions.