Sevald Theodor Richard Andvord (5 August 1839 – 8 November 1913) was a Norwegian businessperson, known for founding the company Rich. Andvord.

Biography

He was born at Lom in

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The ...

, Norway. He was the son of bailiff Paul Thorsteinson Andvord (1795-1863) and Thora Sevaldsdatter Kjæstad (1806–97). He moved to Christiania (now Oslo) in 1855 to work as an assistant in his uncle's shop. He also spent one year in Germany. In 1865 he opened his own store near

Stortorvet Stortorvet ('The Grand Plaza') is a square in Oslo, Norway, located west of Oslo Cathedral. Background It was officially inaugurated during the autarchic times, in 1736. A town market was held here until 1889. Marketing still exists, but has la ...

which he named Rich. Andvord. He imported pens, paper and other writing materials. Andvord soon got many notable customers, including

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

, Jonas Lie,

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

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

Gustav Vigeland Gustav Vigeland (11 April 1869 – 12 March 1943), born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his produc ...

, and the store became a meeting place for artists and other notables. The new postal communication and the expanded bureaucracy meant even more for Andvord's business. He soon expanded into a larger company. Book printing and bookbinding were included in the company portfolio. Andvord was also a member of Kristiania city council. He also served on the board of

Den norske Creditbank Den norske Creditbank or DnC is a defunct Norwegian commercial bank created in 1857. In 1990 it merged with Bergen Bank to create Den norske Bank (DnB). The bank was based in Oslo and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange Oslo Stock Exchange () ( ...

, Kreditkassen,

Storebrand Storebrand is a financial services company in Norway. By volume, the company's main activities are related to life insurance and pension savings. However, the company also has major divisions working on investments, banking and, until 1999 and ...

, Idun and the National Theatre. Andvord was an active philanthropist, and also led ''Borgervæpningen'', a civic guard consisting of burghers but disestablished in 1881. Andvord was decorated with the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1881 and also received the Swedish

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

. He died in November 1913 in Kristiania, and was buried at

Vår Frelsers gravlund The Cemetery of Our Saviour () is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It is located adjacent to the older Old Aker Cemetery and was created in 1808 as a result of the great famine and cholera epidemi ...

. His company still exists, although it was merged with C. Tybring-Gjedde in 2005 to form the new company ''Andvord Tybring-Gjedde''.

Personal life

In 1883 he married Cathinca Sofie Jacobsen (1849–1935), a first cousin of composer

Johan Svendsen Johan Severin Svendsen (30 September 184014 June 1911) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, he lived most of his life in Copenhagen, Denmark. Svendsen's output includes two symphonies, a vi ...

. She was a skilled musician and helped led a bourgeois social life in the couple's

Frogner Frogner is a residential and retail borough in the East End and West End of Oslo, West End of Oslo, Norway, with a population of 59,269 as of 2020. In addition to the original Frogner, the borough incorporates Bygdøy, Uranienborg, Norway, Urani ...

home. They were the parents of several children and were the grandparents of Richard Andvord (1920-1997) who later took over the family business. His daughter Elsa Andvord married Captain Edward Evans, later first

Baron Mountevans Baron Mountevans, ''of Chelsea in the County of London'', is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1945 in favour of the celebrated Antarctic explorer, Admiral Sir Edward Evans. the title is held by his grandson, the fourth B ...

, and Andvord was the grandfather of Richard Andvord Evans, 2nd Baron Mountevans (born 1918).''

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

'', volume 2 (2003), page 2806

References

External links

*
Andvord Tybring-Gjedde website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andvord, Richard 1839 births 1913 deaths People from Lom, Norway Politicians from Oslo Norwegian company founders Norwegian businesspeople in retailing Norwegian book publishers (people) Norwegian philanthropists Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal 19th-century Norwegian philanthropists