Reinhard Iselin (4 August 1714 – 10 April 1781) was a Danish merchant, shipowner and industrialist who founded Reinhard Iselin & Co. in

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 ...

in 1749. The company completed 65 expeditions to the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island. The islands of St ...

. Iselin was also active in the

Danish Asiatic Company Danish Asiatic Company (Danish language, Danish: Asiatisk Kompagni) was a Denmark-Norway, Danish trading company established in 1730 to revive Danish-Norwegian trade on the Danish East Indies and China following the closure of the Danish East Ind ...

where he served on the board of directors from 1759 to 1769. He owned Iselingen and Rosenfeldt at

Vordingborg Vordingborg () is a market town and old ferry town on the south coast of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

. He was raised to the peerage with the rank of baron in 1776 but the title died with him since both his sons died as infants.

Early life and education

Born in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, Iselin was the son of brazier Johan Ludvig Iselin (1676–1745) and his second wife Margaretha Schrotberger (died 1755). Iselin completed an apprenticeship before travelling first to

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

and then Copenhagen in 1740,

Shipping

In Copenhagen, Iselin initially worked for Fabritius & Wever, a trading house owned by

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 ...

and Johan Frederik Wæver. In 1749 he established his own trading house under the name Reinhard Iselin & Co. which soon grew to be one of the most important in Copenhagen. Iselin was a major shareholder in the

and several of the other chartered companies. From 1759 to 1769, he served as director of the Danish Asiatic Company. He was also active in the Danish Africa Company.. A stroke forced Icelin to retire from the company in 1777. It was then continued by his wife until her death. The firm owned four ships in 1779. Iselin & Co. completed a total of 65 expeditions to the

Ships

Industrial enterprises

Iselin was also involved in several industrial enterprises. In 1754, he was one of the founders of a

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

. In the same year, he obtained a royal license to establish a calico textile manufactury at the

Christiansholm Christiansholm is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North ...

estate. He was also involved in a tannery (acquired in 1772, located in

Adelgade Adelgade ( lit. "Nobility Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Gothersgade in the south to Sankt Pauls Plads with St. Paul's Church in the north. The first half of the street is dominated by modern buildings while i ...

) and a sugar refinery. In Norway, Iselin held a 40 % stake in Froland's iron works at

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

Property and honours

Iselin was given the title of in 1766 and in 1769. He owned Rosendal and

Rosenvænget Rosenvænget is a neighbourhood in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in circa 1860, it was the first neighbourhood of single family detached homes in Denmark. Many of the old villas have survived but some of them have been ...

at Copenhagen as well as a country house (now Gramlille) 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 ...

. He acquired the estates Iselingen, Rosenfeldt, Snertingegård and Avnø at

from the state when Vordingborg Cavalry District was sold in auction in 1774. In 1776, Iselin was ennobled with the title of baron ().

Personal life and legacy

Iselin married his former employer

' daughter Anna Elisabeth on 2 February 1772 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. They had four children. Their two sons died as infants. Their daughter Marie Margrethe (Mimi) (1753–1814) married Christian Frederik (Friedrich) Ernst Rantzau von Rantzau (1747–1806). Their daughter Lisa married

Antoine de Bosc de la Calmette Gérard Pierre Antoine de Bosc de la Calmette, often referred to as Antoine de la Calmette, (21 September 1752 – 7 April 1803) was a Danish people, Danish County Governor, geheimrat, and landowner. He is, however, remembered above all as an ...

. Iselin died on 10 April 1781. His widow married

Johan Frederik Classen Johan Frederik Classen, frequently also J. F. Classen, (11 February 1725 – 24 March 1792) was a Danish people, Danish-Norwegian people, Norwegian business magnate, industrialist, major general, landowner and founder of Det Classenske Fideic ...

in 1783. In accordance with his wishes, she established two estates () for their daughters in 1781, Iselingen and Rosenfeldt (named after the family's home town, Rosenfeld in

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

). Anna Elisabeth (née Fabritius) married

References

External links

Reinhard Iselin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iselin, Reinhard 1714 births 1781 deaths 18th-century Danish businesspeople 18th-century merchants Danish businesspeople in shipping Danish manufacturing businesspeople Danish textile industry businesspeople Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish industrialists Danish merchants Naturalised citizens of Denmark Businesspeople from Basel-Stadt Swiss emigrants Merchants from Denmark–Norway Immigrants to Denmark–Norway