Jonas Marius Lied (17 July 1881 in Sølsnes in

Veøy Municipality Veøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Molde Municipality and Rauma Municipality in the traditional district of Romsdal. The ...

– 25 April 1969 at Sølsnes,

Molde Municipality Molde Municipality () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal ...

) was a Norwegian entrepreneur, businessman, diplomat, author and art collector. He obtained a short vocational business education and was proficient in English, French,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

. Lied was also a noted athlete, for instance in 1906 together with

Erik Ole Bye Erik Ole Bye (20 March 1883 – 17 May 1953) was a Norwegian operatic baritone. He studied singing with Morgenstierne in Oslo, zur Muhlen in London, and R. Willani in Paris. He also competed at the Olympics as a rower. Biography He competed in ...

he won the Lyle Cup for double sculls. He established The Siberian Steamship, Manufacturing & Trading Company (the Siberian Company; Norwegian: ''Det siberiske kompani'') in 1912 with the purpose of importing and exporting goods through a new northern shipping lane and the

Ob River The Ob (; ) is a major river in Russia. It is in western Siberia, and with its tributary the Irtysh forms the world's seventh-longest river system, at . The Ob forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun which have their origins in the Alta ...

and

Yenisei River The Yenisey or Yenisei ( ; , ) is the list of rivers by length, fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through Lake Baikal a ...

. Kjersem, Jakob: «Mannen bak handelsruten til Sibir.» '' Fylket'', 24 December 1991. He obtained Russian citizenship with the help of Grand Duke Alexander, but regained Norwegian citizenship in 1931 when he left the difficult times in the Soviet Union. According to the Russian tradition, he long used the signature "I.G. Lid" (Jonas Hansson Lied) after his father Hans ("Gans" in Russian). f The first expedition through the

Kara Sea The Kara Sea is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. Ultimately the Kara, Barents and Laptev Seas are all ...

was completed in 1913 with explorer

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...

and Siberian industrialist Stephan Vostrotin as prominent passengers. The journey was a great success and the international press reported from the trip. Both Nansen and Lied gave several lectures. Lied lectured in Russian in St. Petersburg, in French at the Société Nautique, and in German at the geographical society in Hamburg. Nansen published a ''Through Siberia''. In 1914, Lied photographed British naval vessels in the port of Newcastle and was for this arrested according to the

Defence of the Realm Act 1914 The Defence of the Realm Act 1914 ( 4 & 5 Geo. 5. c. 29) (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 1914, four days after the country entered the First World War. It was added to as the war progressed. It gave the government wide-ranging ...

. According to his autobiography, he wired Secretary of Trade Walter Runciman for help, and the charges were dropped.

The Siberian Company

Lied's idea for a sea route to Yenisei came from the English businessman Alfred Derry and from

Joseph Wiggins Joseph Wiggins Royal Geographical Society, FRGS (3 September 1832 – 13 September 1905) was an English people, English mariner, born at Norwich into a family of mailcoach operators. He rounded out a successful career as a sea captain by utili ...

’ book on the

Northeast passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP; , ) is the Arctic shipping routes, shipping route between the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islan ...

. Lied terminated his employment with the Burroughs Adding Machine Company and in 1912 founded The Siberian Steamship, Manufacturing & Trading Company). The company’s main office was in

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yenisey, Yenisey River, and is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a p ...

and eventually offices in

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

(26

Nevsky Prospect Nevsky Prospect ( rus, Не́вский проспе́кт, r=Nevsky Prospekt, p=ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj prɐˈspʲɛkt) is a main street ( high street) located in the federal city of St. Petersburg in Russia. Its name comes from the Alexander Nevs ...

across the street from Kazan Cathedral), London, New York, Moscow,

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

and

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

. The initial share capital was 142,000 NOK, and gradually expanded to 8 million in 1917. Lied’s plan was to transport goods through the great rivers of Siberia, and exchange goods to West European ocean vessels at these rivers' arctic mouth. From Krasnoyarsk the Yenisei is 2500 km and there was at that time no roads or railways along the river. Because of ice this northern route could only be used July through September. In the summer of 1914 Lied organized the transport of river steam ships built in England and Germany to Siberia. The small convoy that should gather at

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

also included cargo ships with 30,000 barrels of cement to the Transsiberian railway. By late July 1914 Lied was still waiting for the last documents and instruments to be able to leave

Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is a town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has a footprint o ...

. In bad weather on 30 July the boats left the German harbour even if the low river boats could hardly travel across the open ocean. The Tsar awarded Jonas Lied honorary citizenship of Russia for this bold operation. In Tromsø the German crew discovered that they were at war and they were replaced by Norwegian sailors. In Murmansk slight panic occurred as the small convoy of cargo ships was mistaken for German navy. At Dikson Island Lied encountered

Otto Sverdrup Otto Neumann Knoph Sverdrup (31 October 1854 – 26 November 1930) was a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer. Early and personal life He was born in Bindal Municipality as a son of farmer Ulrik Frederik Suhm Sverdrup (1833–1914) and his w ...

that had run aground with his ship ''Eclipse''. Sverdrup was on a search and rescue mission for the missing Sedov and Brusilov. Sverdrup's ship was pulled free with the help of Lied's boats. In 1916 he set up a complete "Bolinder" saw mill from Sweden in the town of Maklakovo (now

Lesosibirsk Lesosibirsk () is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. Population: History The village of Maklakov Lug (), later known as Maklakovo () existed on the territory of modern Lesosibirsk since 1640. In the early 20th centu ...

) at Yenisei. About 200 men were employed there when Lied set the saw mill in operation. On the same site one of Russia's largest saw mills is still in operation. In 1917 one of his ships was sunk by a submarine and Jonas' brother Hjalmar perished. His Russian citizenship allowed Lied to take control over Russian companies, including the shareholder majority for all private boats on Yenisei and some 50 river boats and 140 barges on Ob. Lied also built a fish canning factory in the same area. On a trip to the US in March 1917 he had meetings with

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. Lied planned to invite Roosevelt on an expedition to Siberia, just like he had done with Nansen a few years earlier. In the meantime the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

took place. The plan involving Roosevelt was never completed.

Revolution

Lied resided in

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

(St Petersburg) at the time of the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

. He had meetings with

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

and

Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

at the

Smolny Institute The Smolny Institute () is a Palladian edifice in Saint Petersburg that has played a major part in the history of Russia, notably as a center of women's education, and the headquarters of the Bolsheviks during the early stages of the October Re ...

in 1917 and describes the unusual experience in his autobiography. During the meeting Trotsky had a constant grip on the pistol in his pocket, according to Lied's autobiography. The purpose of the meeting was to reach an agreement with the new regime for his Siberian company, but with no result. Lied then wanted to sell the company's assets, but the board of directors in

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 ...

hesitated and Lied then resigned as CEO in February 1918. The company's assets where seized by the Bolshevik regime after the

peace treaty A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...

with Germany in 1918. Lied together with the British intelligence planned to rescue the Tsar and his family from their house arrest at

Tobolsk Tobolsk (, ) is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh rivers. Founded in 1587, Tobolsk is the second-oldest Russian settlement east of the Ural Mountains in Asian Russia, and was the historic capita ...

. The plan involved the use of the Siberian company's boats on the Siberian rivers, the operation was called off by a nervous

king George King George may refer to: People Monarchs ;Bohemia *George of Bohemia (1420-1471, r. 1458-1471), king of Bohemia ;Duala people of Cameroon * George (Duala king) (late 18th century), king of the Duala people ;Georgia *George I of Georgia (998 or ...

.
Han ville smugle ut tsarfamilien
�, ‘’

Aftenposten (; ; stylized as in the masthead) is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation as well as Norway's newspaper of record. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 daily copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen ...

’’, October 6, 2005. Lied's diary mentions a meeting with

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...

on March 5, 1918, and with Robert Cecil on March 6, later also with

Reginald Hall Admiral Sir William Reginald Hall (28 June 1870 – 22 October 1943), known as Blinker Hall, was the British Director of Naval Intelligence from 1914 to 1919. Together with Sir Alfred Ewing, he was responsible for the establishment of t ...

(head of

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

) and Michael Romanov (the tsar's cousin exiled in London). It is not clear if Lied initiated the plan himself or if he was merely invited by the British help with logistics. According to Anthony Summers,

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

hesitated because he wanted to improve relations with the new regime in Russia, while king George insisted that his relatives should be rescued. Lied's own account of this bold plan has been confirmed by later research. In an attempt to capture some of the company's assets he travelled via Vladivostok to

Omsk Omsk (; , ) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over one million. Omsk is the third List of cities and tow ...

in 1919 and had meetings with the leader of the counter-revolution

Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...

. In May 1919 Lied was commissioned by Kolchak to negotiate with

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

(then UK defence minister) about supplies to Kolchak's Siberia, the plan was not implemented.

After the Revolution

In February 1920 Lied again travelled to Russia when there was still a

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In

(St Petersburg) he met with

Grigory Zinoviev Grigory Yevseyevich Zinoviev (born Ovsei-Gershon Aronovich Radomyslsky; – 25 August 1936) was a Russian revolutionary and Soviet politician. A prominent Old Bolsheviks, Old Bolshevik, Zinoviev was a close associate of Vladimir Lenin prior to ...

then continued to Moscow. On the return trip he, according to the autobiography, was invited to

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...

's residence. Gorky wanted Lied's help to get Nansen and

H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

send relief to the starving people of Petrograd (Nansen that summer travelled to Russia). After the revolution the properties of the Siberian company was nationalized by the new regime. Lied then established himself in Moscow as an independent businessman during Lenin's

New Economic Policy The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...

from 1921. He was, among other activities, agent for the US aluminum company

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...

. On behalf of Alcoa he was searching for

bauxite Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...

as well as access to hydro electric power for aluminum production. Lied met with Trotsky on several occasions and traveled widely together with geologists within the Soviet Union. He also explored the possibilities of developing hydro power at Dneprostroi. Around 1930 the surveillance by the secret police and the pressure from the Soviet authorities made life increasingly difficult for Lied. The secret police tried to enroll him as an agent to obtain information about the international aluminum industry. In February 1931 he was arrested and released after four hours interrogation. A few weeks later he secretly regained his Norwegian citizenship and left the Soviet Union with his Soviet passport in May 1931. According to his autobiography he had lost all his money. He soon continued an international business career as senior vice president of Aluminium Union Limited.

Legacy

In 1946 Lied retired from international business and settled on the small Sølsnes ancestral farm. Lied wrote detailed diaries from 1907 to 1966. During this period he had resided 15 years in Norway, 21 years in England, 20 years in Russia, two years in France and to years in Germany. Lied's ''Return to Happiness'' was translated to eight languages and became an international bestseller. Lied wrote the autobiography in London during the second world war and he dedicated the book to «Norway by a loyal son». He left behind a notable collection of Russian icons and other art (largely compiled during 1920 to 1924), some originated from the

Winter palace The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square ...

. After the revolution there was a burglary in Lied's apartment in Petrograd and additional art may have disappeared. The art collection includes a portrait of Lied by

Yury Annenkov Yury Pavlovich Annenkov (, also known as Georges Annenkov; – 12 July 1974),Names by which he is credited for his work on films include ''Georges Annenkov'', ''Georges Annet'', and ''D'Annenkoff''. Sometimes he signed his work ''G. Annen ...

(also known as Georges Annenkov). Lied befriended Annenkov in Moscow and met again by coincidence in Paris in 1933. At Sølsnes Marit Werenskiold discovered a previously unknown portrait of King Oscar by

Konstantin Makovsky Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky (; (20 June o.c.) 2 July n.c. 1839 – 17 o.c. (30 n.c.) September 1915) was an influential Russian painter, affiliated with the " Peredvizhniki (Wanderers)". Many of his historical paintings, such as ''Beneath the ...

and several portraits purchased from count

Sheremetev The House of Sheremetev () was one of the wealthiest and most influential Russian noble families, descending from Feodor Koshka. History The family held many high commanding ranks in the Russian military, governorships and eventually the ra ...

. There is also a disputed portrait of the author

Ivan Krylov Ivan Andreyevich Krylov (; ; 13 February 1769 – 21 November 1844) is Russia's best-known fabulist and probably the most epigrammatic of all Russian authors. Formerly a dramatist and journalist, he only discovered his true genre at the age of ...

. Lied donated diaries and records about the Siberian company to the Norwegian Maritime Museum, other archival material is now kept at

Romsdal Museum The Romsdal Museum () is a museum in the Romsdal district of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The museum is based in Molde Municipality, but it has sites all over the region. History The museum was founded by Peter Tønder Solemdal (1876-1963 ...

. Lied donated of his wealth to the renovation of

Old Veøy Church Old Veøy Church () is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the small island of Veøya which lies in the Romsdalsfjorden. It was the main church for the Veøy ...

. He was buried at the old disused Veøy church yard. Parts of his art collection was on display in

Pushkin Museum The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (, abbreviated as , ''GMII'') is the largest museum of European art in Moscow. It is located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The International musical festival Sviatos ...

and elsewhere in 2005. Professor Marit Werenskiold in 2008 edited ''Consul Jonas Lied and Russia. Collector, diplomat, industrial explorer 1910-1931''.''Romsdals Budstikke'': Jonas Lied i praktverk. 14. januar 2009, s. 28.

Selected publications

* ''Sidelights on the Economic Situation in Russia'', published in Moscow, 1922. * ''Return to Happiness'' (autobiography, translated to eight languages). London: Macmillan, 1943. * ''Over de høye fjelle'' (autobiography). Oslo: Dybwad, 1946. * ''Sibirisk eventyr'' (originally ''Prospector in Sibiria'', Oxford University Press). Copenhagen: Arnold Busck, 1955. * ''En sjøvei blir til: Det sibiriske kompanis historie''. Oslo: Mortensen, 1958.

Gallery

File:No-nb bldsa 3f024.jpg, Jonas Lied with walrus, photo by Nansen,

, 1913 File:No-nb bldsa 3f115.jpg, Siberia expedition, 1913. Behind: Loris-Melikov and Lied. Front: captain Samuelsen, Vostrotin, Nansen. File:No-nb bldsa 3f125.jpg, Nansen with captain Samuelsen onboard M/S «Correct»,

photo: Jonas Lied File:No-nb bldsa 3f140.jpg, Lied encounters

Nenets people The Nenets (; ), in the past also called 'Samoyeds' or 'Yuraks', are a Samoyedic ethnic group native to Arctic Russia, Russian Far North. According to the latest census in 2021, there were 49,646 Nenets in the Russian Federation, most of them l ...

File:No-nb bldsa 3f201.jpg, Lied and Nansen with Russian officers on Yenisei

References

External links

Photo of Jonas Lied in Sibir/Kara sea, 1913
Nasjonalbiblioteket
Photo of Jonas Lied at Sølsnes, 1965Digitalt museum

Photo of Jonas Lied at Sølsnes
not dated
Digitalt museum

Jonas Lied's private chamber in St Petersburg
not dated
Digitalt museum

Map of the sea route to Sibiria through Kara sea
not dated
Digitalt museum

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lied, Jonas Naturalized citizens of Russia Norwegian emigrants to Russia Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom Norwegian expatriates in France Norwegian expatriates in Germany Norwegian company founders Norwegian businesspeople in shipping Burroughs Corporation people Norwegian diplomats Norwegian male writers Norwegian art collectors People from Møre og Romsdal Norwegian male rowers Russian people of Norwegian descent 1881 births 1969 deaths