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Johannes Theodor(us) Suhr (2 April 1792 – 10 November 1858) was a Danish merchant and industrialist. He owned the Suhr House at
Gammeltorv Gammeltorv (Old Market) is the oldest square in Copenhagen, Denmark. With adjoining Nytorv it forms a common space along the Strøget pedestrian zone. While the square dates back to the foundation of the city in the 12th century, most of its buil ...
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 ...
as well as Sølyst north of the city and was the founder of the foundation Den Suhrske Stiftelse.


Early life

Suhr was born into a wealthy family of merchants 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 1792. His father was Ole Berendt Suhr, owner of J. P. Suhr & Søn, which had been founded by Johan Peter Suhr (1712–1785). The company traded in a wide range of products, including coal, salt,
linum ''Linum'' (flax) is a genus of approximately 200 species''Linum''.
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and
hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...
. It survived the difficult years during the war with England in the 1800s. Theodor Stuhr finished school and had plans to study theology.


Career

When their father died in 1815, he and his elder brother Didrik Suhr joined the management of the company which was formally owned by their mother until her death in 1842. The company went through a difficult period with the settlement of its activities in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
followed by an agricultural crisis but experienced new growth in the late 1820s and early 1830s. The company increasingly specialized in import of coal and iron from
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. In the 1830s, J. P. Suhr & Søn had a market share of more than 20% of the Danish import of coal and it later grew to 33%. The company was also active as a money lender with ties to leading bankers in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. In 1827, Suhr moved into the industrial sector when he leased the rolling mill in
Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...
. He established a production of copper plates and installed the first large, Danish-built steam engine (20 j hp) in 1828. In 1830, he acquired Brede Copper Mill (). In the 1850s, he sold those activities but continued to have investments in industrial enterprises such as
Ørholm Ørholm is a neighbourhood and locality on the Mølleåen river in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen9, Denmark. Ørholm Watermill has a history that dates back to at least the 15th century but the current industria ...
, Strandmøllen and M. P. Allerup. He had also investments in industrial enterprises abroad. When his mother died in 1842, Suhr became the sole owner of the company after buying out his brother and sisters. At this point he had an estimated net worth of 800,000
Danish rigsdaler The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1875. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively. These currencies were of ...
and by 1853 it had doubled to 1.6 million rigsdaler. In late 1855 he ceded the company to his nephew
Ole Berendt Suhr (1813–1875) Ole Berendt Suhr (3 May 1813 – 6 October 1875) was a Danish merchant, investor, landowner and philanthropist. Early life and education Ole Berendt Suhr was born in Nyborg, where his father by the same name was a merchant and his mother Laurine ...
but remained active in it for another few years.


Property

In 1840, Suhr acquired the Schimmelmann family's country house Sølyst in
Klampenborg Klampenborg is a northern suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, Gentofte municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an ...
. He kept a large household and socialized with the cultural and political elite. Suhr acquired Bonderup in
Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Merløsegaard Merløsegaard is a manor house located 9 kilometres north of Ringsted, close to the village of Store Merløse, Holbæk Municipality, some sixty kilometres southwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. Merløsegaard and nearby Bonderup are owned by Den Suhrske ...
in 1856.


Personal life

Suhr married Christine Caroline Andrea Falch on 30 March 1816 in the Church of the Holy Ghost in Copenhagen. She was the daughter of merchant and bank commissioner Andreas Falck and his wife Charlotte Sophie Suhr (1756–1822). The couple had no children. Suhr took active part in public life. He was a member of the Council of 32 Men from 1822 to 1835. He was active in the preparations for the first and was also active in in 1835. He was appointed to council of state in 1847. He constructed a summer residence at Bonderup, where he died in 1860. He is buried in
Gentofte Cemetery Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves f ...
. He left his fortune to a foundation, Den Suhrske Stiftelse. J. P. Suhr & Søn was dissolved in 1897 after selling its activities to A/S Det danske Kulkompagni.


References


External links


Den Suhrske Stiftelse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suhr, Theodor 1792 births 1858 deaths 19th-century Danish businesspeople Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish merchants Danish industrialists Johannes Theodorus