
Richard Bernhard With (18 September 1846 – 9 February 1930) was a Norwegian ship captain, businessman and politician for the
Liberal Left Party
The Free-minded Liberal Party ( no, Frisinnede Venstre) was a political party in Norway founded in 1909 by the conservative-liberal faction of the Liberal Party. The party cooperated closely with the Conservative Party and participated in seve ...
. He is known as the founder of the shipping companies
Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab was a Norwegian shipping company that operated ferries in Northern Norway.
The ferry service was founded by Richard With on 10 November 1881 at Stokmarknes in Nordland, Norway. That same year, the shipping company's ...
and
Hurtigruten
''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...
.
Background
Richard Bernhard With was born at
Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 21s ...
in
Troms
Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by ...
, Norway. He was a son of shipmaster Sivert Regnor With (1810–97) and his wife Anne Bergitte Dahl (1814–ca 1875). His father was of
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
descent and became a pioneer in shipping from Tromsø. With took the mate's examination in
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, an ...
during 1864, and then spent eight years at sea. In 1873 he settled in
Risøyhamn as a merchant. In September the same year he married Oline Sophie Wennberg (1844–1878) in nearby
Andenes
is the administrative centre of Andøy Municipality which is located in the Vesterålen district of Nordland county, Norway. The village of Andenes is the northernmost settlement of the island of Andøya (and in Nordland county). To the east ...
. They had the child
Nanna With
Nanna Bergitte Caroline With (30 May 1874 – 22 February 1965) was a Norwegian journalist, voice pedagogue and organizational leader.
Early life and career
She was born in Andenes, Norway, a daughter of ship owner and politician Richard With ...
in 1874. After the death of his first wife, he married her sister Augusta Septimia Wennberg (1847–1938).
Career
Richard With realized a growing transportation need in the region, particularly due to the widespread
herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae.
Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocea ...
fishing, and was the driving force in the creation of the ferry service
Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab was a Norwegian shipping company that operated ferries in Northern Norway.
The ferry service was founded by Richard With on 10 November 1881 at Stokmarknes in Nordland, Norway. That same year, the shipping company's ...
in 1881.
[ Two new ships were acquired in the 1880s; SS ''Lofoten'' was built and SS ''Fiskeren'' was bought. Trade routes were set up between ]Lofoten
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolv� ...
, Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the archipel ...
and Senja
or is an island in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway, Europe. With an area of , it is the second largest island in Norway (outside of the Svalbard archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the Atlantic, and a mild ...
in the north and Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
in the south.
In 1891, With took up the idea of establishing a year-round passenger route along the coast of Norway. In 1893 the Parliament of Norway agreed to the government's proposal of funding the route—Hurtigruten
''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...
—with . The route Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, an ...
–Hammerfest
Hammerfest (; sme, Hámmerfeasta ) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hammerfe ...
(in the summer: Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, an ...
–Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 21s ...
) would be sailed weekly, and ''SS Vesteraalen'' was the first ship to sail on 2 July 1893.
In 1894, With retired as a shipmaster and instead became CEO of Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab. He remained here until 1909. From 1896, Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab used SS ''Lofoten'' for a passenger route between Hammerfest and Adventfjorden
Adventfjorden (Advent Bay) is a 7 km long and 4 km wide bay running south-eastwards from the southern side of Isfjorden, on the west coast of Spitsbergen in Svalbard. The name represents a corruption of ''Adventure Bay'' - probably nam ...
. The shipmaster was renowned polar explorer Otto Sverdrup
Otto Neumann Knoph Sverdrup (31 October 1854, in Bindal, Helgeland – 26 November 1930) was a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer.
Early and personal life
He was born in Bindal as a son of farmer Ulrik Frederik Suhm Sverdrup (1833–1914) ...
, and the route propelled growth of a modern society in the Svalbard archipelago. In 1908, With became involved in the work to create the Norwegian America Line
The Norwegian America Line ( no, Den Norske Amerikalinje), was a shipping line, originally an operator of ocean liners and cargo ships. Founded in 1910, the company ran a regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United States, and late ...
. At its establishment in 1910, he served as deputy chairman of the board.[
]
With had been involved in local politics.[ He served as a member of the ]Parliament of Norway
The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
for the constituency ''Vesteraalen'' from 1910 to 1912.[ He then remained in ]Kristiania
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) 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 i ...
(now Oslo) and lived here until his death in February 1930. In 1896, he was made Knight 1st Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. With was a leader of the Nordlendingenes Forening, an association of former residents who had relocated from the counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark in Northern Norway. He was awarded the Petter Dass
Petter Pettersen Dass (c. 1647 – 17 August 1707) was a Lutheran priest and the foremost Norwegian poet of his generation, writing both baroque hymns and topographical poetry.
Biography
He was born at Northern Herøy ( Dønna), Nordlan ...
Metal (''Petter Dass-medaljen'') during the association's 50th anniversary in 1912.
Legacy
His name has been used for two Hurtigruten ships: SS ''Richard With'' (1909) and current MS ''Richard With'' (1993). In Tromsø there is a square named ''Richard Withs plass'', while roads are named after him (''Richard Withs gate'' or ''Richard Withs vei'') in Andenes, Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, an ...
, Bodø
Bodø (; smj, Bådåddjo, sv, Bodö) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland cou ...
, Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is a town and the administrative centre of Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Sandnessjøen was granted special trading privileges in the late 1600s and it received town status in 1999. Sandnessjøen is located on ...
and Vardø
( fi, Vuoreija, fkv, Vuorea, se, Várggát) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in the extreme northeastern part of Norway. Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway, more to the east than Saint Petersburg or Istanbul. The administra ...
.
References
External links
Vesterålen: Richard With
Hurtigruten Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:With, Richard Bernhard
1846 births
1930 deaths
People from Tromsø
Norwegian people of Dutch descent
Norwegian company founders
Norwegian businesspeople in shipping
Members of the Storting
Nordland politicians
Free-minded Liberal Party politicians
20th-century Norwegian politicians
Order of Saint Olav