Van Twiller was born in about 1580, in Gelderland, now a part of the Netherlands. He was the eldest son of Rijckert and Maria (Van Rensselaer) Van Twiller, the sister of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the first patroon, and the aunt of Nicholas Van Rensselaer.
In 1633, Van Twiller arrived at New Amsterdam with a company of soldiers from Holland. Nevertheless, Van Twiller prudently dealt with the English who in 1633 sailed up the Hudson in the William, and he permitted them to return peaceably to England. With a firm hand, he aided the Dutch settlements on the banks of Connecticut, but he obviously lacked adequate numbers of colonists with which to stem the rapidly rising tide of English immigration.
The animosity of De Vries resulted in a lengthy letter from Van Twiller's uncle in Amsterdam, whose eminence had no doubt played a part in the promotion of the nephew, although Van Rensselaer himself denied it. He had heard, so he said, that Wouter had too often got drunk, was too proud, and not sufficiently interested in religion. More serious was his negligence in keeping books properly and sending reports to Amsterdam. However, he was permitted to retain his position a little longer.
One point in his favor had been his aim to imitate his father and his uncle, who had transformed barren wastes in the province of Gelderland into fertile fields and had fattened ill-fed cattle. Unfortunately, the West India Company, influenced by its more wealthy counterpart, the East India Company, misunderstood the potentialities of colonization in North America. What the merchants of Amsterdam wanted was a trade in furs and quick profits for themselves, instead of a slower gain through the development of agriculture. However, Van Twiller strengthened Fort Amsterdam and built a church and a bridge across the creek in the busiest part of town. His uncle's farms in Manhattan were carefully tilled under his care, and he himself developed a tobacco plantation.
In 1636, a settlement on Long Island was started, and in 1637, he bought for himself Pagganck, now Governor's Island, and two islands in the East River, now Ward's and Blackwell's. Yet the company in Holland remained ill-pleased, for, in spite of the uncle's warnings, the governor still neglected his books and failed to report regularly. EverardusBogardus, moreover, frankly called him "a child of the devil; a consummate villain". In 1637, Willem Kieft was appointed to succeed him. Only the Indians had fully appreciated his good qualities. He had been kind to them and had treated them as equals.
For years after his departure, according to the board of accounts, the Indians were daily calling for the return of Wouter. He was in no hurry to leave either, and he actually bought more land before he departed and obtained from Kieft a lease on Bouwerie No. 1, belonging to the company. Early in 1639, he arrived in the Netherlands, and he immediately proceeded to the headquarters of the company, showing the officials all his books and papers. His uncle reported that the latter were now fully satisfied. Kieft remained his agent in the colony, and after the death of Van Rensselaer, Van Twiller managed his patroonship. In 1649 and 1650, his name appears in various records in New Netherland.
Van Twiller died in 1656 or 1657.
Wouter was married to Maria (Momma) Van Twiller.
