Maurits Cornelis van Hall

Maurits Cornelis van Hall (1836–1900) was a Dutch lawyer, banker and politician. He was involved in founding many companies.

Early years
Maurits van Hall was the son of lawyer Anne Maurits Cornelis van Hall (1808-1838) and Helena Suzanna van Schermbeek (?-1844). His father joined the 1834 Dutch Reformed Church split, bringing him into conflict with the ruling elite. He died when Maurits was only two and a half years old, and so his mother took him and two siblings back to Utrecht, where the family lived on the Weerdsingel. Maurits' grandfather Maurits Cornelis van Hall (1768-1858) was a well known lawyer, poet and politician.

Maurits studied civil and Roman law in Utrecht, where he was promoted in 1858. From 1858 to 1863 Maurits was active as an attorney in Amsterdam.

Helped by connections
Maurits' uncle Floris Adriaan van Hall was minister of justice from 1842 to 1844, and played an important role in Dutch politics in the next decades. He was prime minister of the Netherlands from 23 February 1860 to 14 March 1861.

In April 1863 Maurits was a very small partipant among the founders of the 'Nederlandsche Crediet- en Deposito Bank' in Amsterdam. Of the first share capital of 28,865 shares of 250 guilders, Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim took 3,600 shares for himself and 12,500 for his banks in Paris and London. 10,500 more shares were taken by people from France. Of the Dutch shareholders, Samuel Sarphati took 1,000 shares, and Abraham Carel Wertheim took 300. Maurits took 50 shares. The other 6 Dutch shareholders took 100 shares or less. The executive board would consist of a president-director and two directors, each owning at least 100 shares and at least 50 shares. The supervisory board would consist of 7-12 commissaries, each owning at least 25 shares. On 21 April a long list of other small shareholders would join the founders, taking 7,452 shares.

The appointment of the board clarified the position of the Dutch shareholders amongst the founders. Sarphati became president-director, Wertheim a director. The other 6 minor Dutch shareholders became members of the supervisory board. While Maurits had enough shares to qualify as a director, he did not get an immediate appointment, the founding charter only mentioned that the first appointees were empowered to appoint the missing director and commissaries. The commissaries all had an impressive list of economical and political positions, but would not get paid for their office. It was remarkable that Maurits was allowed to join the founders, but it was also remarkable that he was not mentioned as getting appointed somewhere.

However, the contract for the foundation of the bank also mentioned a secretary that was to assist the executive board. In April 1865, Maurits was mentioned as the secretary of the bank acting together with the president when they asked for permission to change the charter of the bank. One of the many changes was that the bank would now have three directors: M.C. van Hall and B. Jacobsen in Amsterdam, and H. Bamberger in Paris. It is possible that Maurits was promoted for his merits, but the fact that he was invited or allowed to take the 50 shares in 1863 points to a long term plan to first make him the secretary and then a director. In 1872 the Nederlandsche Crediet- en Deposito Bank would merge with the Banque de Paris to become the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas, later known as bank Paribas. Maurits would continue to head the Amsterdam branch until his death.

In May 1862 Maurits had been appointed as lieutenant 2nd class of the Amsterdam militia (schutterij). His appointment at the Nederlandsche Crediet- en Deposito Bank was probably reflected in his quick promotion in the militia. In November 1864, he was appointed as Lieutenant 1st class. In July 1866 he was appointed as captain of the militia.

Samuel Sarphati (1813-1866) was heavily involved in founding the Nederlandsche Crediet- en Deposito Bank, but this was only one of his many ventures. He also founded the Amstel Hotel in 1867. In January 1866 Maurits was one of the members of the committee that tried to found the hotel. In May 1866 the foundation of the Amstel Hotel company succeeded. It would have a share capital of 600,000 guilders divided in 500 guilder shares. Maurits took two shares, but unlike the other members of the committee, he was not mentioned on the top of the list.

More than a decade before the foundation of the Amstel Hotel, Sarphati had founded the association 'Vereniging voor Volksvlijt' (lit. association for industry) in 1852. In February 1857 this led to the foundation of the public company 'Paleis van Volksvlijt'. This was to raise 1,000,000 guilders to build the Paleis voor Volksvlijt, modelled on The Crystal Palace. In April 1867 Maurits became a member of the supervisory board of the Paleis van Volksvlijt.

In 1867 Maurits was mentioned as a member of the supervisory board of the Nederlandsche Onderlinge Brandwaarborg Maatschappij.

In 1868 the Bischofsheim Association became operational. The charity was not associated with a religion, which was exceptional at the time. Maurits was its treasurer. In 1873 Maurits stepped down as treasurer.

A wealthy man
In the 1860s Maurits must have become wealthy. Starting in the 1870s, he suddenly appears as a major participant in multiple ventures. In these ventures he was also immediately appointed as a member of the board or the supervisory board.

In December 1870 Maurits participated in the 'Maatschappij tot droogmaking en exploitatie der Tienhovense en Maarsseveense Plassen'. It had 800 shares of 1,000 guilders. With 46 shares, Van Hall's participation was significantly bigger than his previous participations. He also immediately became a member of the executive board.

In 1876 the Vereniging voor de Effectenhandel (association for trading in securities) was founded as a merger of two previous associations. In July Maurits was appointed as a member of its board.

In March 1880 Maurits was one of the founders of the 'Nederlandsche Verzekering Maatschappij tegen de risico van onderlingen Waarborg'. It had 100 shares of 1,000 guilders, and Maurits and three others each took 25 shares. This company was related to the Nederlandsche Onderlinge Brandwaarborg Maatschappij.

In 1860 Mauits was one of the founders of the 'Nederlandsche Bell Telephoon Maatschappij'. He took 10 of the 600 shares of 1,000 guilders. Maurits also became a member of the supervisory board of this company.

In April 1882 the company Wester Suikerraffinaderij was founded. Maurits took 45 of the 800 shares of 1,000 guilders each.

In 1887 Maurits became one of the five directors of the Haagsche Tramweg Maatschappij.

In 1888 Maurits was one of the 15 members of an association called Koninklijke Vereeniging Het Nederlandsch Tooneel. The 15 members of the association brought in 90,000 guilders, making it possible for the association to do business. A management board did the actual management of the activities, which consisted of performances in the theaters of Amsterdam and The Hague, and possibly other places.

In 1890 the Stadsschouwburg of Amsterdam burned down. At the time building a new theater was not considered to be the responsibility of the municipality (and its tax-payers). In March 1890 Maurits participated in an initiative by six persons to found a company to build a new city theater. It would be a small company with only 100,000 guilders in shares and a 900,000 guilders loan.

In politics
In politics, Maurits belonged to the Liberals. In 1881 he was a candidate for the Amsterdam municipality. In November 1882 he was chosen in the Amsterdam Chamber of commerce. At the time, this was an elected board, just like the municipality and the States Provincial. In 1890 Maurits quit from the Chamber of Commerce.

In May 1883 Maurits was chosen in the States Provincial of North Holland. In May 1889 he was re-elected.

Maurits made several attempts to get into the Senate. E.g. in May 1894 such an attempt failed, even though he got quite close. In February 1896 Maurits was finally elected as a member of the senate. In 1899 he was re-elected.

Personal
On 2 August 1864 Maurits married Debora Cremer Eindhoven (1843-1906). She was a half-sister of author Mena Elisabeth Cremer Eindhoven (1855-1931).

Maurits died on 18 December 1900. His funeral was attended by family and friends and representatives of the many organizations to which he had contributed.

Maurits Cornelis Van Hall was a squire in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. In 1882 he had been made a squire in the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau.