Charles Boissevain
Encyclopedia
Charles Boissevain was a journalist, editor and part-owner of the Amsterdam Algemeen Handelsblad
, a leading newspaper of the time. From 1872 he was on the editorial board of the literary journal De Gids.
During the Boer War, he supported the Boer cause in his writings. He published a series of articles on the war, collected as and republished in English translation as The Struggle of the Dutch Republics: A Great Crime. An appeal to the conscience of the British nation. It was subsequently published in German as well.
In 1881, Boissevain paid a visit to the United States and published his impressions in a series of articles in the Handelsblad, afterward republished in book form as From the North to the South.
, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin) in England on June 27, 1867. They had eleven children: Charles Ernest Henri (1868-1940), Maria (1869-1959), Alfred Gideon (1870-1922), Robert Walrave (1872-1938), Hester (1873-1969), Olga Emily (1875-1949), Hilda Gerarda (1877-1975), Eugen Jan (1880-1949), Petronella Johanna (1881-1956), Jan Maurits (1883-1964), and Catharina Josephina (1885-1922).
Three of these children and a grandson migrated to North America. Eugen Jan became an importer of coffee from Java and married two notable 20th Century American women: suffragist Inez Milholland
, for whom he moved to New York, and Pulitzer-prizewinning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay
. Robert emigrated to Canada, as did Olga, who married Dutch sea captain and explorer Abraham Jacob van Stockum. Their son, mathematician Willem Jacob van Stockum
, discovered solutions of Einstein's equations with closed timelike lines, and their daughter Hilda van Stockum
was a well-known artist and author of children's books. In addition, Charles Ernest Henri's son Charles Hercules Boissevain (1893-1946), a doctor, moved to Colorado, where he became a tuberculosis researcher and co-authored the first comprehensive survey of native Colorado cacti.
Algemeen Handelsblad
Algemeen Handelsblad was an influential Amsterdam-based liberal daily newspaper, founded in 1828 by J.W. van den Biesen. At the peak of its influence -- from the time of the Boer War, when it championed the Boer cause in South Africa, through World War I -- it was edited by Charles Boissevain.It...
, a leading newspaper of the time. From 1872 he was on the editorial board of the literary journal De Gids.
Career
Boissevain's grandfather and father had developed Het Handelsblad as a business newspaper, and he continued in their footsteps. He wrote a daily article in the Handelsblad, "From Day to Day," which the Times called in its obituary a "feature of Dutch journalism"During the Boer War, he supported the Boer cause in his writings. He published a series of articles on the war, collected as and republished in English translation as The Struggle of the Dutch Republics: A Great Crime. An appeal to the conscience of the British nation. It was subsequently published in German as well.
In 1881, Boissevain paid a visit to the United States and published his impressions in a series of articles in the Handelsblad, afterward republished in book form as From the North to the South.
Family
Boissevain married Emily Héloïse MacDonnell (a granddaughter of Richard MacDonnellRichard MacDonnell (scholar)
The Rev. Dr Richard MacDonnell LL.D., D.D., S.F.T.C.D. was the Reformist 29th Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, and the projector of Sorrento Terrace, Dalkey, which is today famous for being the most expensive row of houses in Ireland.-Family:...
, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin) in England on June 27, 1867. They had eleven children: Charles Ernest Henri (1868-1940), Maria (1869-1959), Alfred Gideon (1870-1922), Robert Walrave (1872-1938), Hester (1873-1969), Olga Emily (1875-1949), Hilda Gerarda (1877-1975), Eugen Jan (1880-1949), Petronella Johanna (1881-1956), Jan Maurits (1883-1964), and Catharina Josephina (1885-1922).
Three of these children and a grandson migrated to North America. Eugen Jan became an importer of coffee from Java and married two notable 20th Century American women: suffragist Inez Milholland
Inez Milholland
Inez Milholland Boissevain was a suffragist, labor lawyer, World War I correspondent, and public speaker who greatly influenced the women's movement in America.-Biography:...
, for whom he moved to New York, and Pulitzer-prizewinning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
. Robert emigrated to Canada, as did Olga, who married Dutch sea captain and explorer Abraham Jacob van Stockum. Their son, mathematician Willem Jacob van Stockum
Willem Jacob van Stockum
Willem Jacob van Stockum was a mathematician who made an important contribution to the early development of general relativity....
, discovered solutions of Einstein's equations with closed timelike lines, and their daughter Hilda van Stockum
Hilda van Stockum
Hilda Gerarda van Stockum was a children's book author and artist. She was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Her father was an officer in the Dutch Royal Navy. She grew up in the Netherlands and Ireland, living for many years in the United States, and lived in England from about 1973...
was a well-known artist and author of children's books. In addition, Charles Ernest Henri's son Charles Hercules Boissevain (1893-1946), a doctor, moved to Colorado, where he became a tuberculosis researcher and co-authored the first comprehensive survey of native Colorado cacti.