Hans Mustad (26 January 1837 – 27 February 1918) was a Norwegian businessperson. He was instrumental in shaping the company O. Mustad & Søn. Mustad was born in

Vardal Vardal is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Oppland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now divided between Gjøvik Municipality and Vestre Toten M ...

as the son of

Ole Hovelsen Mustad Ole Hovelsen Mustad (12 March 1810 – 24 February 1884) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician. He was instrumental in shaping the company O. Mustad & Søn, and served one term in the Norwegian Parliament. Biography He was born in Vardal ...

. He was a brother of Kristian Mauritz Mustad and uncle of Sigbjørn Mustad; both were jurists and politicians. Ole Hovelsen Mustad was a politician and businessperson who ran the company ''O. Mustad'', inherited from Hans Mustad's grandfather

Hans Schikkelstad Hans Hansen Schikkelstad (4 September 1789 – 29 March 1843) was a Norwegian farmer, businessperson and politician. He was the founder of the business which became O. Mustad & Søn. Hans Schikkelstad was born in the parish of Vardal in the pre ...

in 1843. Hans Mustad married Marie Heyerdahl in 1865. She was a granddaughter of Hieronymus Heyerdahl, Mustad started his working career in 1857, when hired in his father's company. They specialized in production of steel wire and nails, and also ran a foundry and a sawmill.Timeline
- Mustad.no In 1874, Hans Mustad became co-owner, and the company name was changed to O. Mustad & Søn, reflecting the new ownership structure. Under the involvement of Hans Mustad, the production was diversified. First, new products such as horse shoes, axe heads and

fish hook A fish hook or fishhook, formerly also called an angle (from Old English ''angol'' and Proto-Germanic ''*angulaz''), is a hook used to catch fish either by piercing and embedding onto the inside of the fish mouth (angling) or, more rarely, by i ...

s were introduced. In addition, the company expanded to other cities. In 1875, the company bought property at

Lilleaker Lilleaker is a neighbourhood and industrial site in Ullern, Oslo, Norway. It is located east of the river Lysakerelva. The area is named after the Lilleaker farm. Lilleaker served by the Lilleaker (station), Lilleaker station of the Oslo Tramway, ...

Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...

(now Oslo), adjacent to the Lysaker river. With a nearby waterfall at Fåbrofossen, this location had a history of industry stretching back to the nail works owned by poet Christian Braunmann Tullin, which existed from 1749 to 1830. From 1874, the lot was vacant due to the explosion and subsequent move of the local

nitroglycerine Nitroglycerin (NG) (alternative spelling nitroglycerine), also known as trinitroglycerol (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless or pale yellow, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by ...

factory. In 1876, the production of nails and some other iron- and steelware was moved from Vardal to Lilleaker.History
- Mustad Eiendom In 1886 a factory was established in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. In 1889, the foundry was moved to Lilleaker, and the same year a margarine factory was established, entering a new branch of business. In addition, the factory at Vardal started production of fishing flies. In the meantime, Ole Hovelsen Mustad had died (1884), leaving Hans Mustad as the single owner. His five sons became co-owners in 1905. These were Ole Mustad, Jr. (1870–1954),

Hans Clarin Hovind Mustad Hans Clarin Hovind Mustad (22 November 1871 – 1 January 1948) was a Norwegian businessman. Personal life He was born in Vardal as the son of Hans Mustad and Clara Laurentse Marie Henriette Mustad (born Hovind). On the maternal side he was a gre ...

(1871–1948),

Halfdan Magnus Mustad Halfdan Magnus Mustad (9 June 1874 – 21 January 1967) was a Norwegian businessman. He was born in Vardal as the son of Hans Mustad and Marie Heyerdahl. On the maternal side he was a great-grandson of Hieronymus Heyerdahl, and on the paternal ...

(1874–1967), Wilhelm Martin Christie Mustad (1877–1961) and

Nicolai Christian Mustad Nicolai Christian Mustad (26 December 1878 – 13 October 1970) was a Norwegian factory owner. He was the son of Hans Mustad, and was co-owner of the company O. Mustad & Søn from 1905–1959. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the Order o ...

(1878–1970). They subsequently inherited the company upon Hans Mustad's death in 1918. By that time, O. Mustad & Søn was the largest industrial company in Norway, with 2,000 domestic employees as well as several factories abroad. The company eventually became the world's largest producer of fish hooks. Despite the ownership change, the name O. Mustad & Søn was kept. However, not long after its 1970 conversion to a

limited company In a limited company, the Legal liability, liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a c ...

, it was split into different branches. 1977 saw the split into ''Mustad Industrier AS'' and ''Mustad International Group BV'', whereas the former was split into ''Mustad AS'', ''Mustad Industrier AS'' and ''Mustad Eiendom AS'' in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustad, Hans 1837 births 1918 deaths Norwegian businesspeople People from Gjøvik