Jules van den Bossche

Biography

Van den Bossche was born in Mons, which was then situated in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, to Jean Bernard van den Bossche and Marie Cathérine Navéau. He made a career in the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies, becoming a clerk in the office of the assistant resident of Pontianak and later in the office of the resident at Palembang. While stationed at the latter place, he was promoter to controller and took part in the Palembang Highlands Expeditions. Between 1852 and 1857, Van den Bossche served as assistant resident in Tebing Tinggi.

When he was on home leave in the Netherlands in 1857, Van den Bossche was appointed governor of the Dutch Gold Coast, where he only served until 1858. In 1859, Van den Bossche returned to the colonial administration of the Dutch East Indies, serving as resident of consecutively Bangka Island and Besuki, before becoming governor of Sumatra's West Coast in late 1862. In 1868, he was appointed a member of the Council of the Dutch East Indies, the cabinet of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

Van den Bossche retired from service in 1871, and lived his later years in The Hague. Together with several Dutch partners, he involved himself in private business in the Dutch East Indies. While on his way to oversee the building and exploitation of a coal mine and railway line in Central Sumatra, he died aboard the French mail ship Djemnah near Aden, Yemen.

Personal life

Van den Bossche had at least one son on the Gold Coast, named John van den Bossche.

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