Person

Jacob Nienhuys

1836–1927 · 19th century

Jacob Nienhuys was a Dutch tobacco planter who in 1863 began growing tobacco in the Sultanate of Deli, in north-eastern Sumatra, on land leased from the sultan. His success, especially with fine wrapper leaf for cigars, drew a rush of European planters to the region, and in 1869 he helped found the Deli Company. The plantation economy he started relied on Chinese and later Javanese contract labourers working under harsh conditions.

Jacob Nienhuys
Image: Willem Maris · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Deli Sultanate

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Jacob Nienhuys. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jacob-nienhuys
MLA
“Jacob Nienhuys.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jacob-nienhuys. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Jacob Nienhuys.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jacob-nienhuys.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Jacob Nienhuys’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jacob-nienhuys (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻