Background
Jacob was the son of Cornelis de Graeff and Catharina Hooft, and the younger brother of Pieter de Graeff.
Jacob was the son of Cornelis de Graeff and Catharina Hooft, and the younger brother of Pieter de Graeff.
After he finished his studies at the University of Harderwijk he returned bag to Amsterdam.
He was an Amsterdam Regent and held the titles as 20.th Lord of the Free and high Fief Ilpendam and Purmerland. In 1648 Jacob laid the foundation stone for the new city hall on the Dam. Joost van den Vondel wrote a poem to Jacobs Foundation stone.
Maria died 3 months later and they had no children.
In 1674 Jacob sold the hunting lodge and its surrounding fields, now the Soestdijk Palace, for only 18,755 Guilder to William III, and became one of the princes captains in the battle at Reibach near Bonn. In the same year Jacob owned 260.000 Guilder.
About that he was one of the richest persons from the Dutch Golden Age. Jacob was like his father Cornelis a man who surrounded himself with art and beauty.
He was an art collector and patron to some famous artists.
Jacob was painted by Gerard Ter Borch, Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael, Thomas de Keyser, Karel Dujardin and January Victors and sing by the poet Joost van den Vondel. Jacob owned the castle Ilpenstein. He died 1690; his tomb chapel is to be found in the Oude Kerk at Amsterdam.
Jacob de Graeff was a member of a family of regents who belonged to the republican political movement also referred to as the ‘state oriented’, as opposed to the Royalists. In 1672 Jacob became a member of the Government of the City of Amsterdam.