Joannes Camphuys was born in Haarlem on 18 July 1634. In his youth he was a student at a silversmith in Amsterdam. He left on 1 November 1652 aboard the cargo carrier to India. The ship, however, suffered shipwreck on March 2, 1653 at the Shetland Islands. Camphuys survived the disaster and left on 23 August 1653 aboard the Golded Dragon. He became a clerk at the General Secretariat in Batavia and a bailiff in Batavia. After 11 years at the secretary he became a merchant. He became a commander in 1670 and in 1671 he left as head of the VOC post in Deshima, Japan. This function was usually only carried out by government officials. After a year, as usual for that position, he returned and held the function another 2 times (in 1673 and 1675) alternated with the membership of the Council of Justice. In 1677 he became Secretary of the High Government and president of the orphan's college. He conducted negotiations with the ambassadors of Bantam. In 1678 he became Council-Extra-Oranginary of India. In 1681, he became a member of the Council of the Dutch East Indies.