When no stadtholder was appointed, the grand pensionary received envoys. In 1653, the States of Holland elected De Witt councilor pensionary. In December 1650, De Witt became the pensionary of Dordrecht. He was appointed grand pensionary in 1631. Therefore messages of a more secretive nature were sent to the grand pensionary personally. In English the French was translated as "Grand Pensionary". The Land's Advocate or Grand Pensionary was nearly always a previous pensionary of a city. The grand pensionary also took care of the total correspondence of the Estates. He resigned in 1636 as grand pensionary. Its Dutch name, , can be literally translated as "councillor pensionary". The mastermind behind the plan was the leading Dutch politician Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt. Most cities, Amsterdam being no exception, employed a pensionary. He was the pensionary of Amsterdam from 1611 to 1627. In 1613, he was appointed Pensionary of Rotterdam (equivalent of a mayor). The regents they opposed included the Grand Pensionary Jacob Gilles and Adriaen van der Hoop.