Emil Vett (7 November 1843 – 18 February 1911) was a Danish businessman who was a co-founder of

Magasin du Nord Magasin is a Denmark, Danish chain of department stores. It has seven department stores with its flagship store located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The company is a subsidiary of the German department store retailer Peek & Cloppenburg, Peek & ...

Early life and education

Vatt was born on 7 November 1843 in

Rødby Rødby is a town located on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It has a population of 1,957 (1 January 2024).Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the List of islands of Denmark#List of 100 largest Danish islands, fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Kattegat, Belts and Sund area, it is part of Re ...

, the son of medical doctor Julius Theodor Emil Vett (1808–1869) and Karen Petrine Bjørn (1813–1881). At the age of 14, he became an apprentice in C. B. Christensen's textile shop in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

. He worked in the shop for a total of nine years and ended up heading it for around a year after the owner had fallen ill. After C. B. Christensen's death, Vett worked briefly in Emil Secher's fashion shop.

Career

In 1868 Vett established Emil Vett & Co. in a partnership with Theodor Wessel. In 1876 Vett and Wessel moved the firm 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 ...

. Over the next years it developed into the largest department store in the country under the name

. The firm established its own textile factory on Landskronagade in Østerbro in 1887.

Other activities

After partly retiring from the day-to-day management of his firm, in around 1900, Vett took active part in a number of charities such as the Danish Tuberculosis Society (), Julemærkefonden and the organisation behind . He was also involved in the establishment of Idrætsparken in

Østerbro Østerbro () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is located just north of the city centre, outside the old city gate Østerport which, after it was moved around 1700, used to be located close to present-day ...

. From 1885 to 1911 he was a specialist member of the Maritime and Commercial Court () and from 1904 to 1911 he was a member of Bank of Denmark's Board of Representatives. In 1893 Vett and Wessel established a pension and welfare fund () for the employees in the firm.

Personal life and legacy

Vett married Caroline Adolphine Langballe (15 September 1849 – 8 February 1935), a daughter of merchant Carl L. (1805–1885) and Hansine Palline Pallesen (1814–1868), on 27 April 1870. Vett constructed the villa at Kritianiagade 7 in 1898. It was designed by Johan Schrøder. Vett was also the owner of a summer residence designed by the same architect in Taarbæk on the coast north of the city. Vett was made a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1896 and was awarded the Cross of Honour in 1908 and the Medal of Merit in Gold in 1909. He died on 18 February 1911 and is buried at Taarbæk Cemetery. Vett's widow constructed Emil Vetts of Hustrus Stiftelse at C.F. Richs Vej 18 in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

. The building was designed by Edmund Monberg and was used as a summer residence for employees at Magasin du Nord.

References

External links

Lemming Emil Valentinus Vett

Image
of Vett's homse at

Bredgade Bredgade (literal translation, lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden, Copenhagen, Esplanaden ...

10 {{DEFAULTSORT:Vett, Emil 19th-century Danish businesspeople Danish businesspeople in retailing Danish retail company founders Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog People from Lolland Municipality People from Lolland 1843 births 1911 deaths