Gerrit de Jongh

Gerrit de Jongh was born on July 4, 1845, in the village of Willemstad to Teunis Gerardus de Jongh and Cornelia Johanna Maris. His maternal grandfather had served as the village mayor. At the age of 15, Gerrit entered the Royal Military Academy in Breda, graduating four years later as a second lieutenant in the army’s engineering division. He quickly proved his skill in technical projects like the restoration of Fort Uitermeer. Promoted to captain, he began taking on private building commissions too. In 1879, he became Director of Municipal Works in Rotterdam. Under his leadership, the city experienced rapid growth: Delfshaven was annexed, the port expanded, and new neighborhoods sprang up across Rotterdam. Between 1880 and 1890, the population nearly doubled from 160,000 to 315,000. De Jongh left a lasting mark on the face of the city.