Peter van Hurk (1697 – 16 October 1775) was a Dutch-Danish merchant.

Biography

Peter van Hurk was born in the Netherlands. Due to his experience with trade with China, he was called to Denmark by Fabritius & Wewer to serve as 1st Supercargo on board the ship ''Kronprins Christian'' on its first journey to China. The expedition was a great success and he was subsequently a co-founder of the Danish Asiatic Company where he was a partner from 1732 to 1745 and director from 1745 to 1754. Together with

Reinhard Iselin Reinhard Iselin (4 August 1714 – 10 April 1781) was a Danish merchant, shipowner and industrialist who founded Reinhard Iselin & Co. in Copenhagen in 1749. The company completed 65 expeditions to the Danish West Indies. Iselin was also active i ...

, he was in opposition to the transformation of the company and the liberalization of Danish trade on East Asia. Together with five other participants, he filed a lawsuit but lost. Peter van Hurk was also involved in the establishment of

Kurantbanken The Kurantbanken (also known as the københavnske Assignationsbanken, Vekselbanken or Laanebankbanken) was a Danish-Norwegian private limited company set up in Copenhagen in 1736, when it received its royal ''oktroj'' or charter. This charter gave ...

and served as commissioner of banking from 1739 to 1774. He took over the Royal Danish Silk Manufactury in Copenhagen in 1753.

Personal life

He was the owner of the property Sneglebakken in

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 ...

from 1734 to 1760. In 1768, he acquired Rustenborg from

Jean Henri Desmercières Jean Henri Desmercières (8 May 1687 – 8 March 1778) was a French-Danish merchant, banker and major landowner in Holstein where he reclaimed large areas along the North Sea coast. Early life Born in Paris, Desmercières was the illegitimate ...

. On 15 January 1744 in the

German Reformed Church The Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. The present RCUS is a conservative, Reformed denomination. It affirms the principles of the Reformation: '' Sola scriptura'' (Script ...

in Copenhagen, he married Maria Barbara Fabritius. She was the sister of Just and

Michael Fabritius Michael Fabritius (2 May 1697 – 13 November 1746) was a Danish merchant, shipowner and shipbuilder. Early life and education Michael Fabritius was born in Copenhagen on 12 May 1697. His parents, wine merchant Herman Fabritius (1667-1729) an ...

. He was appointed in 1733, agent with rank of in 1749 and ''

etatsråd was a Danish and Norwegian title, which was conferred by the king until 1909 and entailed a third-class rank in the order of precedence, and thus the right to enroll one's daughters in Gisselfeld Convent and Vemmetofte Convent. It was awarded to ...

'' in 1753.

References

External links

Peter van Hurk
at Geni Genealogy Directory {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurk, Peter van 1697 births 1775 deaths 18th-century Danish businesspeople 18th-century Dutch merchants Danish Asiatic Company people Danish businesspeople in shipping Danish textile industry businesspeople Danish Calvinist and Reformed Christians Danish merchants Emigrants from the Dutch Republic Immigrants to Denmark–Norway