Issac de Pinto

Isaac de Pinto (1717–1787) was a Dutch merchant, banker, and scholar of Portuguese Sephardic Jewish descent. He was a prominent investor in the Dutch East India Company and a philosopher who focused on Jewish emancipation and national debt. Pinto was one of the few Jews of the 18th century who could engage with mainstream European culture, publishing his works primarily in French. He was married to Rachel Nuñes Henriques and they had no children. Pinto played a role in Dutch politics by supporting William IV of Orange, leading to some easing of restrictions on Jewish merchants. He was appointed president of the Dutch East India Company in 1750. Despite later bankruptcy, he engaged with prominent European figures like Frederick the Great, David Hume, and Denis Diderot. His writings, including 'Essai sur le Luxe' and 'Apologie pour la Nation Juive', addressed economic and social issues, and he also defended his co-religionists against Voltaire. Pinto's work 'Traité de la Circulation et du Crédit' (1771) addressed public finance and influenced opinions on the economic stability of England. He also opposed Raynal's work on colonization and critiqued the American Revolution.