David Moses Halberstadt (12 July 1819 – 14 June 1874) was a Jewish Danish businessman. His firm David Halberstadt (founded 1834) established a steam mill in
Christianshavn
Christianshavn () is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...
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 ...
in 1857 and later developed into the largest wholesaler of hides, fur, leather and wool in the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...
.
Early life and education
Halberstadt was born on 22 July 1819 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 ...
, the son of merchant Moses Gottschalk Halberstadt (1792–1872) and Bolette Bella Davidsen (1790–1863). He attended Borgerdyd School and was then apprenticed to M. Berg in
Randers
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().
Career
After completing his apprenticeship, Halberstadt initially worked for Hartvig Philip Rée in Randers before moving to
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 he was employed by J. Levysohn. He was granted
citizenship
Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state.
Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...
as a merchant and established his own trading house in 1834. It traded as David Halberstadt & Co. after he went into a partnership with Philip, whom he knew from Randers, just a few months later. The firm started out as a modest grain business but grew rapidly over the course of the next few years and was able to purchase H. Puggaard & Co.'s property in
Christianshavn
Christianshavn () is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...
in 1857, where they established a large
steam mill
A steam mill is a type of Mill (grinding), grinding mill using a stationary steam engine to power its mechanism.
* Albion Mills, Southwark, Albion Flour Mills, first steam mill in London from around 1790
* Aurora Steam Grist Mill, a historic gr ...
Meyer Herman Bing
Meyer Herman Bing (4 June 1807 – 15 September 1883) was a Denmark, Danish businessman. He was a co-founder of Bing & Grøndahl.
Early life and education
Bing was born in Copenhagen, the son of bookseller Herman Jacob Bing (1776–1844) and Sara ...
.
The firm had also started trading in hides, fur, leather and wool. These activities grew steadily until it had become the largest firm of its kind in the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...
. A few years prior to Halberstadt's death, the steam mill in Christianshavn was sold to De Forenede Dampmøller.
Other activities
Halberstadt was elected in 1857 to
Grosserer-Societetet
The ('Wholesalers' Society') was a society for wholesale merchants in Copenhagen founded by law in 1742. After 1714, it was possible to acquire citizenship as a wholesaler in the city. was reorganized in 1817. In 1987 the association was replace ...
's committee. He was also a member of the Maritime and Commercial Court from 1872 until his death. He was also a board member of for a while.
Personal life
Halberstadt married Sophie Meyer (5 May 1831 – 23 December 1916) on 4 December 1851. She was the daughter of merchant Abraham Meyer (1795–1865) and Betty v. Halle (1801–1863).
He died on 14 June 1874 and is buried in the Jewish Northern Cemetery in Copenhagen. His widow remarried medical doctor Jean Marie Adolphe Marcet and moved to
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...