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Biography
Paulus Roelof Cantz'laar (Amsterdam, 22 November 1771 – Paramaribo, 15 December 1831) was a Dutch naval officer and colonial governor.
Cantz'laar joined the Dutch Republic navy in 1790 as midshipman and was promoted to lieutenant in 1793. In 1795 the entire service of seaofficers was dismissed and he rejoined the navy of the Batavian Republic in 1799. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 23 August 1800 and to captain lieutenant on 23 November 1804. In 1808 he got the title of lieutenant colonel. After a seabattle on 21 October 1813 he was taken to England as a prisoner of war, where he would remain until 1813.
In 1814 he was named captain and commander of a battalion of marines he raised that same year. In 1815 he was named governor of sint Maarten and Saba,of which he took control on 6 January 1816. He would remain here until 1820, when he was promoted schout-bij-nacht and named governor of Curaçao and Dependencies. In 1828 he became the first governor-general of the combined Dutch West Indian possession, and left for Paramaribo, where he died on 15 December 1831.