Peter Minuit was thought to be of Walloon or French ancestry. He came to New Netherlands in 1625, returned home, and made a second voyage in 1626. Following the second voyage, Minuit was named director of the colony. He is remembered for having traded Indians the equivalent of $24 for Manhattan Island.

Because of his governing policies, he was recalled in 1631. The West India Company feared their monopoly would be endangered. Minuit was recommended to the Swedish chancellor to lead a contingent of colonists to America. In the employ of Sweden, he led two ships of Swedish and Finnish settlers to a 1638 landing on the coast of the Delaware River near the present site of Wilmington, DE. He bought the land from the Indians that year and established Fort Christiana. He called it New Sweden.