View source for Kampen, Nicolaas Godfried van (1776-1839)

Nicolaas Godfried van Kampen (b. 1776 at Haarlem, d. 1839 at [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]]), son of Willem van Kampen and Maria Stetius (of [[Krefeld (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany)|Krefeld]]) was a Dutch Mennonite. Young Nicolaas was intended to continue the florist business of his father and his grandfather near Haarlem. After his father's accidental death in 1783 and his mother's remarriage, Nicolaas was educated by his uncle at Krefeld and at the Mühlheim Commercial School. In 1795, when the florist business was about to be liquidated, Nicolaas moved to [[Leiden (Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)|Leiden]], intending to go into the book business. But instead he became an editor of the <em>Leidsche Courant </em>in 1801. In 1798 he had been baptized, and in 1805 he married Jacoba van Duuren of Leiden. For many years van Kampen lived in impoverished circumstances, earning his living by giving private lessons. In the meantime he became a student of literature and history and published a large number of writings, including a history of the French domination of Europe (1810-1823, eight volumes). In 1829 van Kampen, who had never been a university student, was honored by a call to teach Dutch literature and history at the Athenaeum (university) of Amsterdam. He was frequently given awards by learned associations such as [[Teyler Foundation (Haarlem, Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Teyler's foundation]] at Haarlem. During his Leiden period he was a deacon of the Mennonite congregation 1812-1815, 1818-1819, 1821-1829.
= Bibliography =
Muller, S. <em class="gameo_bibliography">Levens- en Karaktersehets van N. G. van Kampen. </em>Haarlem-Leiden, 1840.

Molhuysen, P. C. and P. J. Blok. <em class="gameo_bibliography">Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek.</em> Leiden, 1911-1937: III, 661-663.
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