Peter Minuit

Peter Minuit, Pieter Minuit, Pierre Minuit or Peter Minnewit was a Walloon from Wesel, in presentday North RhineWestphalia, Germany, then part of the Duchy of Cleves. His surname means midnight. He was Director of the Dutch colony of New Netherland from 1626 until 1631, and founded the Swedish colony of New Sweden in 1638.

Peter Minuit was born sometime between 1580 and 1585, into a Protestant family that had moved from the City of Tournai, Hainaut, part of the Southern Netherlands, presently part of Wallonia, Belgium, to Wesel in Germany, in order to avoid Spanish Catholic colonials, who were not favorably disposed towards Protestants.

Source: Wikipedia