Johan Christian Drewsen (23 December 1777 – 25 August 1851) was a Danish paper manufacturer,

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...

and politician. He owned Strandmøllen north of

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 ...

Early life and education

Drewsen was born at Strandmøllen, the son of paper manufacturer Christian Drewsen (1745–1810). His paternal family had come to Denmark from

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

where they had been involved in manufacturing paper since 1692. Prominent cultural figures such as Knud Lyne Rahbek and

Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (; 14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthe ...

were frequent visitors to the home. The writer and translator Hans Guldberg Sveistrup was a house tutor. His friend,

Conrad Malte-Brun Conrad Malte-Brun (; born Malthe Conrad Bruun; 12 August 177514 December 1826), sometimes referred to simply as Malte-Brun, was a Dano- French geographer and journalist. His second son, Victor Adolphe Malte-Brun, was also a geographer. Today he ...

, sought refuge at Strandmøllen when he had to flee the country in 1793. Drewsen was apprenticed to his father but was struck by the new ideas of the time and the revolution and planned to become an army officer and go into French military service. He did, however, change his mind after falling in love with Johanne Ophelia Rosing, a daughter of the actor Michael Rosing.

Farmer and agronomist

When Drewsen was married in 1898, his father gave him the agricultural estate Smidstrup some ten kilometres north of Strandmøllen. By studying German literature on farming, and consulting the most successful farmers in the area, the pastors in

Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...

and

Kongens Lyngby Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site ...

, and the brothers Jean and Frédéric de Coninck at Frederikslund, he acquired a great knowledge about farming. He introduced new technology (such as the Scottish plough) as well as new practices (such as

crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. This practice reduces the reliance of crops on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, along with the pro ...

) and crops (large-scale cultivation of potatoes). He became a member of the Royal Danish Agricultural Society ('') in 1812 where he became the editor and writer of several publications on farming. He received the society's silver medal for a work on

in 1813 and its gold medal for a work on cultivation of clover. He also published a nine-volume translation of

Albrecht Thaer Albrecht Daniel Thaer (; 14 May 1752 – 26 October 1828) was a German agronomist and a supporter of the humus theory for plant nutrition. Biography Family and early life Albrecht Daniel Thaer was born in Celle, a neat little town in Hanov ...

's works on agronomy ('' I-IV'', 1816–19). From 1819 to 1930, he served as one of the society's three presidents. Together with Jonas Collin, he was the founder of the Agricultural Society for Copenhagen County ('') in 1818 (closed 1824). In 1819, he went on a study trip to Germany. Together with Frédéric de Coninck and pastor Rønne, he was the publisher of the journal (I–VII, 1815–1817), which he later continued alone (VIII–IX, 1818–1819; I-IV, 1819–1825). His most important work on agronomy, , was published in 1834 (second edition 1842). In 1841 and 1842 he published some minor works on the breeding of silk worms and cultivation of

mulberry tree ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinate ...

s. He was involved in a controversy with professor Oluf Christian Olufsen.

The paper mill

Drewsen inherited Strandmøllen in 1810. It developed into the largest paper mill in the country after he modernized it with the introduction of steam engines and a hydraulic press. A major expansion took place in 1830. Drewsen had a monopoly on delivery of paper to the state as well as to the National Bank and completely dominated the market for paper used for printing. In 1844, the company was ceded to his sons Christian and Michael Drewsen.

Politics

In 1834, he became a member of and soon became a leading figure in the fight for better conditions for peasants. In the 1840s, he supported the liberal movement as well as the Danish movement in Sønderjylland. In 1846 he was one of the founders of '' Bondevennernes Selskab'' and became a member of its board but broke with it in 1848 when it left the liberal movement. In 1835, he was a co-founder of the Society for the Proper Use of the Freedom of the Press (''). He was a member of in 1849–1850.

Personal life

Drewsen shared his time between Strandmøllen and an apartment in Copenhagen. From 1799 to 1804, it was located at Vestergade 32 (demolished). From 1807 to 1811, it was located at Knabrostræde 12. In 1844, it was located at

Ny Kongensgade Ny Kongensgade (literally "New King's Street) is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, connecting Frederiksholm Canal to H. C. Andersens Boulevard. In the opposite direction, The Prince's Bridge connects the street to Tøjhusgade on Slotshol ...

8. From 1845 to 1849, it was located at Kronprinsensgade 8. From 1850 to 1851, it was located at Store Kongensgade 62. His son Christian Drewsen who took over the paper mill along with another son Michael was an amateur entomologist.

Written works

* Drewsen, J. C.:

(1814)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drewsen, Johan Christian 1777 births 1851 deaths 19th-century Danish businesspeople Danish agronomists Danish industrialists People from Rudersdal Municipality Members of the Constituent Assembly of Denmark