John Ricus Couperus (1816 – 1902) was a Dutch lawyer, member of the Council of Justice in Padang, member of the High Military Court of the Dutch East Indies and the landheer of Tjikopo. He was also the father of the Dutch writer Louis Couperus and knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. 'J.R. Couperus died', in the Algemeen Handelsblad, October 14, 1902 – retrieved 31 January 2013
Biography
Youth Born into the Indo landed gentry of the Indies on both sides of his family, Couperus was a son of Petrus Theodorus Couperus (1787–1823), the landheer or lord of the private domain (particuliere land) of Tjikopo in Java, and Catharina Rica Cranssen (1795–1845). He was a paternal grandson of Abraham Couperus (1752-1813), Governor of Malacca, and Willem Jacob Cranssen (1762-1821), Governor of Ambon. After the early death of his father his mother remarried general Carel Jan Riesz (1791–1865), who was komtur in the Military William Order and was active during the Battle of Waterloo and during military campaigns in the Dutch East Indies. When Couperus was three years old he and his brothers Henry (5 years old) and Piet (4 years old) were sent to the Netherlands, accompanied by friends of their parents (October 20, 1819). Frédéric Bastet, Louis Couperus. Een biografie. Amsterdam, 1987, p. 36. In the Netherlands Couperus was placed under guardianship of a merchant in Amsterdam, called I.W. Bagman, who placed Couperus at the home of C.G. Merkus, a preacher of the Walloon church in Dordrecht. Later this family moved to Amsterdam. In 1826 Couperus was sent to a boarding school in Noordwijk, later in Maarssen. In May 1829 his stepfather, who with his wife had returned to the Netherlands, was appointed colonel in the Dutch East Indian Army and moved with his wife back to Batavia. Couperus was sent to the vicar Koorders and became a student at the Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam in 1832. Frédéric Bastet, Louis Couperus. Een biografie. Amsterdam, 1987, p. 38.
Couperus was also active as a composer in his youth as well as later in his life; during his time at the Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam he visited the French opera, played the piano, sang and took lessons in harmony and composition. He also founded a music group, "Musicae Artis Sacrum". In 1837 two of his compositions, Passy, Paroles de Béranger and Bitte zum Amor were published at C.J. Reinhold jr. (Amsterdam); 'Advertentie', in de Staatscourant, May 10, 1837 – retrieved January 31, 2013 He also made compositions for family use only and wrote poetry, including but not limited to: Illusions d'un Étudiant and Sea Thoughts (written while on his way to the Dutch East Indies in 1837). Two musical compositions are preserved, Rêverie d’un Grandpère and the Influenza Walse. '150 jaar Louis Couperus: expositie 'Toen ik een kleine jongen was... De prille jeugd van Louis Couperus in het Den Haag van rond 1863' , Website of De Bibliotheek Graafschap – retrieved January 31, 2013
Career as a lawyer
Couperus studied law at the University of Leiden, where he achieved his Master of Laws. He received his PhD on the thesis De conditione servorum apud romanos (Concerning the condition of slaves in the Roman Empire); during this period of his life, acting Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Pieter Merkus (1787–1844) had great influence on Couperus. Frédéric Bastet, Louis Couperus. Een biografie. Amsterdam, 1987, p. 39. The Governor-General was, in fact, Couperus' uncle by marriage as the husband of his aunt, Wilhelmina Nicolasina Cranssen, the legitimated daughter of his maternal grandfather by a native, Ambonese mistress. Couperus left for the Dutch East Indies in 1837 and arrived in November 1837 by steamboat Castor from Batavia at Surabaya. 'Soerabaja', in Javasche Courant, November 29, 1837 – retrieved January 31, 2013 On 1 January 1838 he was appointed tax official in this town. On 20 September 1839 he was made available to the Governmental Commissioner (Pieter Merkus, who then was appointed government commissioner at the Westcoast of Sumatra). 'Berichten', in the Staatscourant, 17 December 1839 – Retrieved February 1, 2013 In October 1839 Couperus joined the military campaign against Kota Gedang, which was commanded by general Andreas Victor Michiels. He was appointed official ("controleur") third class in April 1840 and was allocated to the Department of Rural Income and Cultures. 'Civiel Departement: benoemd', in The Javasche Courant,29 April 1840 – retrieved 31 January 2013 By Royal Decree of 22 April 1842 Couperus was appointed senior civil officer 'Nederlanden', in the Staatscourant, 25 April 1842 – retrieved February 1, 2013 and appointed secretary and revenue assistant at the court in the Batavia Department. 'Binnelandse berichten', Staatscourant, 24 June 1843 – retrieved February 1, 2013 In the position of legal assistant in October 1844 Couperus was placed at the Court of Justice in Padang and also appointed as an official for military affairs. 'Batavia', Opregte Haarlemse Courant,17 October 1844 – Retrieved 3 February 2013 During the time Couperus spent at Padang, he lived in a house at an intersection of three roads, between Padang and Pau. Here he was an eyewitness to a fight where part of an infantry platoon was attacked by a large group of armed natives and killed. Padang was called to a state of emergency and in his position as an official of military affairs Couperus ordered an investigation. It seemed that local people were revolting due to priests who were putting them up against the Dutch government. Additional military troops were ordered and arrived in time to beat the revolt. Frédéric Bastet, Louis Couperus. Een biografie. Amsterdam, 1987, p. 39-40.
In a brochure Couperus wrote about the Dutch presence in the Dutch East Indies: Life for the Dutch in the Indies is not just living like a farmer but also living on the basis of "le droit du plus fort" (the right of the strongest). This situation can only be controlled by a moral and military dominance. It is a domination which places the weaker in an unnatural position and makes it impossible to apply the unconstrained usual Dutch politics in the Dutch East Indies. Frédéric Bastet, Louis Couperus. Een biografie. Amsterdam, 1987, p. 40-41. In August 1846 Couperus was appointed as a member of the Court of Justice in Batavia. 'Batavia', in the Leydse Courant, August 26, 1846 – retrieved February 2, 2013 In November Couperus temporarily replaced D.A. Junius van Hemert as a tax official in the Western Department of the Dutch East Indies 'Op verzoek eervol ontslagen', in the Javasche Courant,3 November 1847 – retrieved 3 February 2013 and in May 1848 he was appointed member at the Board of Justice (Raad van Justitie) in Batavia. 'Haarlem, 26 mei', in the Opregte Haarlemse Courant, 29 May 1848 – retrieved 2 February 2013 Couperus was appointed court clerk at the supreme court of the Dutch East Indies in April 1849 'Civiel Departement', in the Algemeen Handelsblad, 20 April 1849 – Retrieved February 2, 2013 and in December 1850 promoted to the position of counselor at the supreme court. 'Haarlem, 20 december', in the Oprechte Haarlemse Courant, December 21, 1850 – retrieved February 2, 2013 In May 1854 he was also appointed member of the supreme court (until July 1859) 'Oost-Indië', in the Leydse Courant, June 30, 1854 – retrieved February 2, 2013 'Nederlandse koloniën', in the Algemeen Handelsblad, 6 July 1859 – retrieved 2 February 2013 and obtained a leave for two years to Europe in February 1860. 'Benoemingen en besluiten', in De Oostpost, February 13, 1860 retrieved 2 February 2013 Back in the Netherlands Couperus was appointed knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. 's-Gravenhage, 4 June 1860', in the Opregte Haarlemse Courant, 6 June 1860 – retrieved 2 February 2013 He was honorably discharged as counselor of the Supreme Court in June 1862 (Royal Order of 23 June 1862 number 51). 'Binnenland', in Nieuw Amsterdams Handels- en Effectenblad, 28 June 1862 – retrieved 2 February 2013 'Nederland', Staatscourant, 27 June 1862 retrieved 2 February 2013
Politics
Couperus and his family travelled to Europe in 1860. They visited Egypt, Marseille, Paris and Brussels on their way to the Netherlands. Frédéric Bastet, Louis Couperus. Een biografie. Amsterdam, 1987, p. 44. They settled at the Prinsengracht 4 (7 November 1860) and later moved to Mauritskade 11. Frédéric Bastet, Louis Couperus. Een biografie. Amsterdam, 1987, p. 45. Here Couperus wrote a brochure, called Een woord ter gelegenheid der op handen zijnde ontmoeting der oud Gouverneurs-Generaal J.J. Rochussen en Mr. A.J. Duijmaer van Twist op het veld van vrijen arbeid (a contribution on the occasion of the meeting between former Governor-Generals J.J. Rochussen and mr. Albertus Jacobus Duymaer van Twist about free labour). 'Een woord ter gelegenheid van...', in de Java-bode, 23 January 1861 – retrieved February 2, 2013 Couperus wrote his brochure on the occasion of the session of the House of Representatives, held 15, 16 and 17 October 1860, where the issue of the regulation of the sugar industry was discussed. Mr. Duymaer van Twist declared here that he wanted to reconsider free labour and free industry. In his brochure Couperus intended to give legal guidelines according to which the transition into free labour and free industry should take place. He also resisted the broad discussions that took place, where the way to follow was, in his view, already recorded in these legal guidelines. Couperus wrote: To what extent will both former Governor-Generals remain into the limits of the already described legal laws? Will they not exceed the regulations? Will they not, as previously seen, prefer their personal views on this subject above the law? He also wrote that the Dutch government only had the objective to terminate the Cultivation System and to proceed with free labour when was proven that by means of five purification measures, determined by the government, and applied during a slow transition state, the Cultivation System was no longer maintainable and inefficient. He ordered a strict and rigorous application of the rules and strict control by the government and rejected a more loose approach, where things such as mutual agreements regarding landownership by natives were no longer clear.'Een woord ter gelegenheid van', in the Java-bode, 26 January 1862 – retrieved 2 February 2013 This landownership by natives and revision of laws regarding landownership were very important during the transition state into a new economic system. 'De overeenkomsten met inlanders', in the Oostpost, 14 February 1861 – retrieved 2 February 2013