Christen Andreas Fonnesbech (7 July 1817 – 17 May 1880) was a Danish lawyer, landowner and politician. He was

Council President of Denmark The prime minister of Denmark (, , ) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not init ...

from 1874 to 1875.

Early life and education

Fonnesbech was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, where his father was a dressmaker. He matriculated from Borgerdyd School in 1835 and earned a

cand.jur. Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

degree from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

in 1840.

Career

He began his tenure and became town clerk (''

byfoged The was a Danish and Norwegian municipal officer. The title is sometimes translated as 'bailiff', 'magistrate', or 'stipendiary magistrate'. History The was originally the king's representative in the local community, dating back to the 13 ...

'') in

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Vesterbygaard Vesterbygaard is a manor house and estate situated north of Tissø, Kalundborg Municipality, some 70 km west of Copenhagen, Denmark. The three-winged main building was constructed for Christen Andreas Fonnesbech in the 1840s. The estate is s ...

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Slagelse Slagelse () is a town on Zealand (Denmark), Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Ka ...

Politics

In 1863 he acted as president of the County Council in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

. Fonnesbech was also a member of the

Folketing The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

from 1858 to 1875.

Awards

He became a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

in 1860, Commander of the 1st Degree in 1866, received the Grand Cross in 1870, was awarded the Cross of Honour (''Dannebrogsmand'') in 1871, and received the Medal of Merit in Gold in 1874. In 1863, he became Knight of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

References

1817 births 1880 deaths Ministers for finance of Denmark Ministers of the interior of Denmark Kultus ministers of Denmark Prime ministers of Denmark Members of the Folketing Members of the Landsting (Denmark) Politicians from Copenhagen 19th-century Danish politicians Members of the Rigsrådet (1855-1866) University of Copenhagen alumni {{Denmark-politician-stub