Erik Børresen (17 September 1785 – 14 January 1860) was a Norwegian ship owner, merchant and philanthropist.

Biography

Erik Andreas Børresen as born in the

Bragernes Bragernes is one of the central areas of the city of Drammen in Buskerud, Norway, on the north side of the Drammen River (''Drammenselva''). Bragernes Church Bragernes Church (''Bragernes kirke'') was erected in 1871 in neo-Gothic style in th ...

neighborhood of

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

, Norway. He was the son of Lars Børresen (1753–1810) and Karen Flor Robsahm (1764–1825). He followed in his father's footsteps and entered the timber trade. Initially he concentrated the shipping activities on the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

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. He later established himself as a wholesaler of both lumber and grain. During the 1830s, he built several ships in

Hurum Hurum was a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. As of 1 January 2020 Hurum has merged with the municipalities of Røyken and Asker to form the new Asker Municipality located in the newly formed Viken county. The administrative centre of th ...

and later he established his own shipyard in Bragernes. Børresen owned the first Norwegian ships to sail to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. By the 1840s, he had become the owner-operator of one of the largest shipping companies in Drammen. Børresen participated in local politics and was elected to the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

in 1827. Børresen was deputy in 1836, and was elected as a permanent representative to the parliamentary assembly in 1845. Børresen was elected to the first board of the Drammen stock exchange (''Drammens børs'') in 1839.

Personal life and legacy

In 1813, he married Anne Hermine Schioldborg (1791–1855), daughter of agent Christian Anker Schioldborg (1768–1819) and Alethe Sophia Hammond (1772–1820). Their marriage was childless. At the time of his death, the bulk of his fortune he bequeathed to the Erik Børresen Foundation (''Erik Børresens Stiftelse'') which first operated an orphanage and later an educational institution, now Børresen School (''Børresen skole'') on Hauges gate in Drammen.

References

External links

Børresen skole website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borresen, Erik 1785 births 1860 deaths People from Drammen Norwegian merchants Norwegian businesspeople in shipping Norwegian philanthropists 19th-century Norwegian businesspeople 19th-century Norwegian philanthropists Members of the Storting 1827–1829

Biography

Personal life and legacy

References

Related reading

External links