DETERDING, HENRI WILHELM AUGUST

(1866–1939)

   Finan cial expert. Acapable administrator and manager, Deterding served the Netherlands Trade Corporation (Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij [NHM]) in the Netherlands East Indies (Indone sia). He then, in 1896, moved to the newly founded Royal Dutch Oil Company (Koninklijke Nederlandse Petroleum Maatschappij) and became its director in 1900, after the death of Jean-Baptiste Au gust Kessler (1853–1900), the previous director. Seven years later, Royal Dutch and the Shell Group merged. Deterding aimed at com pelling the American Standard Oil to balance production and sales. During the Depression of the 1930s, he tried to convince Dutch prime minister—and former director of the Batavian Petroleum Company (Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij—Hendrikus Colijn to drop the gold standard and join the imperial sterling bloc. Deter ding was also in favor of (Nazi) Germany joining the sterling bloc. As a patron, he presented some famous paintingsto institutions, for example, The Streetby Johannes Vermeerto the Rijksmuseum. He related his memoirs to Stanley Naylor (An International Oilman, 1934).