Jan Bernd Bicker

On Herengracht 546 (Gentlemen's Canal), Amsterdam, lived Jan Bernd Bicker (1746-1812), merchant, politician, council member of the city, manager of the West India Company (WIC) and director of the Society of Surinam. He was married to Catherina Six. The Bickers were a powerful dynasty in Amsterdam for centuries, an island on the west side of the city was built by and named after the family: Bicker's Island. Jan Bernd Bicker was opposed to the House of Orange and supported the Patriots, a liberal group that wanted to curtail the power of the Stadholder. Jan Bernd Bicker was against slavery and wanted human rights to be included in the constitution. When he retired from the public scene and lived at his estate Oosterbeek at Wassenaar, he kept ornamental birds and grew pineapples.

Today Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is located at Herengracht 546.