Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

Edouard Suenson (26 July 1842 ''–'' 21 September 1921) was a Danish naval officer and businessman who served as managing director of the

Great Northern Telegraph Company GN Store Nord A/S is a Danish manufacturer of hearing aids (GN ReSound/GN Hearing), speakerphones, videobars and headsets ( Jabra (GN Audio) and SteelSeries). GN Store Nord A/S is listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen (ISIN code DK0010272632). Histo ...

from 1877 and later as chairman of the board.

Early life and naval career

Suenson was born on 26 July 1842 in Copenhagen, the son of the naval officer Edouard Suenson (1805–87) and Ottilia Uldall (1816–72). He enrolled at the Danish Naval Cadet Academy in 1855 while his father headed the institution. In 1861, he became a junior lieutenant with Gerner's Medal and the King's honorary sword. In 186263, he was in the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island. The islands of St ...

and the Mediterranean Sea with the corvette ''Dagmarf''. During the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...

, he served on board the ship of the line ''Sjiold''. In 1865–68, he was in French military service, first in the training squadron in the Mediterranean and later in East Asian. Ge was seriously wounded during the French expedition to Korea. After completing a circumnavigation of the globe, he returned to Denmark. In 1868, he was promoted to senior lieutenant. In 1870 he was adjutant to the Minister of the Navy, General H. Raasløff. In 1875. he resigned from the navy with rank of captain. In 1891, he was awarded the rank of commodore.

Civilian career

Back in Denmark, Suenson was introduced to C. F. Tietgen by Raasløff. Tietgen persuaded him to apply for leave from the navy and go into the service of the Great Nordic China and Japan Extension Telegraph Company. After successfully completing his assignments in the Far East, Suenson returned to Denmark. Back in Copenhagen, he worked for the Danish parent company. In 1877, he became managing director of the Great Northern Telegraph Company ( into which the aforementioned company had merged in 1872). He held this position until 1908. In 1890 he also became a member of the board- In 1898–1916, he succeeded Tietgen as chairman. Suenson was instrumental in more than doubling the company's network of underwater cables. At the same time, he completed a financial consolidation which could give the company the necessary strength against its powerful competitors. in 1876–98, Suenson was a board member of Em. Z. Svitzers Bjergnings Entreprise. In 1876–1916, he was a board member (from 1890 as chairman) of the marine insurance company

De private Assurandeurer De Private Assurandører was a marine insurance company founded in 1786 in Copenhagen, Denmark. History In 1726, Det kgl. octr. Søe-Asseurance Compagni was granted a monopoly on marine insurance in Denmark. In the middle of the century, its mono ...

. In 1897–1900, he was a board member of Kjøbenhavns Telefonselskab. In 1897–1921, he was a board member of Nordisk Brandforsikringsselskab. In 1902–21, he was a member of Privatbankens bank council. – Chamberlain 1901.

Personal life

On 28 July 1871, Suenson married Magna Cecilie Camilla Lütken (1846–1923). She was a daughter of naval officer and later Minister of the Navy O. H. Lïtken (1813–83) and Annine Buntzen (1819–91). The couple had two sons and two daughters. The elder son Kay Suenson (1762–1954) worked for the Great Northern Telegraph Company. The younger son Edouard Suenson (1877–1958) was a civil engineer and professor at the

Technical University of Denmark The Technical University of Denmark (), often simply referred to as DTU, is a polytechnic university and school of engineering. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and it is today ran ...

. The daughter Ottilia Suenson (1763–1960) was married to the lawyer Christian Frederik Brorson. The daughter Anine Suenson (1881–1948) was married to president of the Maritime and Commercial Court of Denmark Jørgen Hansen Koch. Suenson died on 21 September 1921 in Copenhagen. He is buried at Vrønshøj Cemetery. He has published an account of his circumnavigation of the globe in ''Tidsskrift for Søfart''. Suenson is one of the men seen in

Peder Severin Krøyer Peder Severin Krøyer (; 23 July 1851 – 21 November 1909), also known as P. S. Krøyer, was a Danish painter. Life Growing up and early training Krøyer was born in Stavanger, Norway, on 23 July 1851 to a single mother, Ellen Cecilie Gjes ...

's monumental 1904 oil-in-canvas group portrait painting ''

Men of Industry ''Men of Industry'' ( Danish: Industriens Mænd) is a 1893–1904 oil on canvas group portrait painting by Peder Severin Krøyer (1851–1909) featuring 53 leading representatives of the technical sciences in Denmark during the second half of the ...

''.

Awards

In 1867, Suenson was created 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 1881, he was created a Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog of the 2nd Class. In 1890, he was awarded the Cross of Honour. In 1894, he was created a 1st-class Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog. In 1900, he was awarded the Medal of Merit. In 1906, he was awarded the Grand Cross (i diamanter, 1915).

References

{{reflist 19th-century Royal Danish Navy officers 19th-century Danish businesspeople GN Store Nord people 20th-century Danish businesspeople Danish telecommunications industry businesspeople Businesspeople from Copenhagen Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Danish business executives 1842 births 1921 deaths