Peter Anker (31 July 1744 – 17 April 1832) was a Norwegian diplomat, military officer and colonial general. He served as Consul in Hull, consul general in London and later as governor for the Danish settlement of Tranquebar. He was also known for his watercolour illustrations documenting his travels and life.

Biography

Peter Anker 1744-1832 gemalt von Niels Gude

Anker was born in Fredrikshald, Norway as a son of Erik Ancher (1709–1785) and Anne Catherine Tank (1723–1761). He was a brother of Carsten Tank Anker, and changed his surname from Ancher to Anker in 1778. He held the military rank of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, but was best known as a colonial governor for

Denmark–Norway Denmark–Norway (Danish and Norwegian: ) was an early modern multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (including the then Norwegian overseas possessions: the Faroe I ...

. He was the country's

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

from 1773 to 1776. He was a careful illustrator and his diagrams of Newcomen steam engines from England introduced the concept into Norway and Denmark. Anker was appointed

Governor-general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

of the Danish colony at

Tranquebar Tharangambadi (), formerly Tranquebar ( da, Trankebar, ), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast. It lies north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the Kave ...

from 1786 to 1808. While there he collected local art and made a series of drawing and painting which are now in the Ethnographic Museum at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

.Peter Ankers kunstsamlinger
University of Oslo Kulturhistorisk museum. Retrieved January 1, 2019 Mallard d

Anker did not marry but lived with an English widow named Mallard who died in 1791. He had a memorial built for her. He was appointed a knight in the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

in 1804. In 1814 he participated in the Meeting of Notables which preceded the

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...

(however he was not a part of the Constituent Assembly). In 1808 he settled at Øraker west of Oslo. He died in April 1832 at

Aker Aker may refer to: Places * Aker, Norway, a geographic area in Oslo and a former municipality in Norway * Vestre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Nordre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Aker Br ...

(now Oslo) and was buried in

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

. He had a cenotaph, a copy of the memorial built for Mrs Mallard at his farm in Øraker and had wished that he should be buried with his face covered by a red kerchief that had been given him by Mallard. Den østre side av Marmalon bro - Peter Anker (1744–1832) - Kulturhistorisk museum, UiO - UEM4476.jpg, Mambalam bridge, Madras Det høie Bjerg i Trichenapoly - Peter Anker (1744–1832) - Kulturhistorisk museum, UiO - UEM4424.jpg, Trichinopoly The great Marratta Pagoda in Tanjore - Peter Anker (1744–1832) - Kulturhistorisk museum, UiO - UEM4429 (cropped).jpg, The Tanjore temple Tranquebar 1790 - Peter Anker (1744–1832) - Kulturhistorisk museum, UiO - UEM4452.jpg, View of Tranquebar in 1790 File:1790_Fredrichsnagor_Bengal_-_Peter_Anker_(1744–1832)_-_Kulturhistorisk_museum,_UiO_-_UEM4428_(cropped).jpg, View of Friedriksnagore, 1790

References

1744 births 1832 deaths People from Halden Norwegian generals Norwegian diplomats Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom Governors of Danish India Norwegian expatriates in India Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog {{Norway-mil-bio-stub