The territory which would later become the state of New York was settled by European colonists as part of the New Netherland colony (parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware) under the command of the Dutch West India Company in the Seventeenth Century. These colonists were largely of Dutch, Flemish, Walloon, and German stock, but the colony soon became a "melting pot." In 1664, at the onset of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, English forces under Richard Nicolls ousted the Dutch from control of New Netherland, and the territory became part of several different English colonies. Despite one brief year when the Dutch retook the colony (1673–1674), New York would remain an English and later British possession until the American colonies declared independence in 1776.

With the unification of the two proprietary colonies of East Jersey and West Jersey in 1702, the provinces of New York and the neighboring colony New Jersey shared a royal governor. This arrangement began with the appointment of Queen Anne's cousin, Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury as Royal Governor of New York and New Jersey in 1702, and ended when New Jersey was granted its own royal governor in 1738.

New Netherland (Dutch: Nieuw-Nederland) was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and the Dutch West India Company. It claimed territories along the eastern coast of North America from the Delmarva Peninsula to southwestern Cape Cod. Settled areas of New Netherland are now constitute the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut, and parts of Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.^[1][2] The provincial capital New Amsterdam was located at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan at Upper New York Bay.^[3]

New Netherland was conceived as a private business venture to exploit the North American fur trade.^[4] By the 1650s, the colony experienced dramatic growth and became a major port for trade in the North Atlantic. The leader of the Dutch colony was known by the title Director or Director-General. On August 27, 1664, four English frigates commanded by Richard Nicolls sailed into New Amsterdam's harbor and demanded the surrender of New Netherland.^[5][6] This event sparked the Second Anglo-Dutch War, which led to the transfer of the territory to England per the Treaty of Breda.^[7][8]

More information #, Portrait ...

#	Portrait	Director (or Director-General)	Took office	Left office	Notes
1		Cornelius Jacobsen May (fl. 1600s)	1624	1625	Explored Delaware Bay, New York Bay, Hudson River. Established base at Nut Island (Noten Eylant) and outposts including Fort Nassau on Delaware River. Cape May was named in his honor.
2		Willem Verhulst (or van der Hulst) (fl. 1600s)	1625	1626	Initiated construction of Fort Amsterdam on southern tip of Manhattan Island, and Fort Wilhelmus on the Delaware River. Unpopular with the colonists, he was quickly replaced.
3		Peter Minuit (1580–1638)	1626	1631	Purchased the island of Manhattan from Native Americans on May 24, 1626 for 60 Dutch guilders worth of goods.[9]
4		Sebastiaen Jansen Krol (1595–1674)	1632	1633	Commander at Fort Orange (New Netherland) before and after his term as Director General
5		Wouter van Twiller (1606–1654)	1633	1638	Previously a Dutch West India Company warehouse clerk, used family connections to the Rensselaer family to gain appointment Purchased Nut Island (Noten Eylant), later called Governor's Island from Canarsee tribe for two axeheads, a string of beads and iron nails Lost the colony's claim of the Connecticut River valley to New England settlers Pushed back encroaching Virginia settlers who tried to settle Delaware River valley
6		Willem Kieft (1597–1647)	1638	1647	Attempted to drive out Lenape tribe. Attacks on Pavonia and Corlears Hook, led to Kieft's War.[10] Fired by the Dutch West India Company in 1647.[11] Died at sea near Swansea, Wales on September 27, 1647 while returning to Amsterdam aboard the Princess Amelia.[12]
7		Peter Stuyvesant (c. 1612–1672) (Director General)	1647	1664	Authorized charter for Communipaw and Bergen (now Jersey City) in 1660. New Amsterdam, Pavonia, and Staten Island attacked by the Lenape during the brief Peach War (1655)[12] Obtained victory the Esopus Wars against the Lenape and Esopus tribes[13] Surrendered New Netherland to the British. Also the Director of Curaçao (1642–1664)

Close

Apart from a short period between May 1688 and April 1689, during which New York was part of the Dominion of New England, the territory was known in this period as the Province of New York.

• For a list of governors of New York state after independence (1777–present), see: List of governors of New York.
• Director-General of New Netherland, for a list of the Governors of New Netherland from 1624 to 1664.
• List of colonial governors of New Jersey

• Paterson, David "Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity."Skyhorse Publishing. New York, New York, 2020