Anthony Meuza Van Diemen (1593-1645) was a Dutch colonial official and merchant. As a governor general of the Dutch East Indies, he did much to develop Batavia and the Indies and to expand Dutch influence in East Asia.

Anthony Van Diemen was born at Culemborg, Netherlands. Like many patricians' sons, he was destined to be a merchant, and in 1616 he set himself up in trade in Amsterdam. A year later, as a result of unfortunate advice, he was forced to declare bankruptcy. Unable to repay his creditors, he turned for employment to the Dutch East India Company, which turned him down as a poor risk.

Van Diemen finally succeeded in signing up as a soldier under the alias Thonisz Meeuwisz and arrived in Java in August 1618. He quickly attracted the attention of Governor General Jan Coen, who appointed him a clerk in his office. On Jan. 17, 1630, Van Diemen...