Niels Egede (businessman)
Niels Rasch Egede (* 1710 in Kirkevåg ; † August 31, 1782 in Copenhagen ) was a Norwegian merchant and Greenland pioneer .
Life
Niels Egede was the son of Hans Egede (1686–1758) and his wife Gertrud Rask (1673–1735). His father began colonizing Greenland in 1721 and so Niels and his brother Poul (1708–1789) came into contact with Greenlandic culture at an early age and learned Greenlandic as their mother tongue. That is why both of them were involved in missionary work in Greenland by their father at a young age as missionary helpers and interpreters. In 1731 King Christian VI. stop working in Greenland, but Hans Egede stayed there with his family and Niels managed to send so many Greenlandic products to Denmark that work was resumed in 1734, Jacob Severin was given the trade monopoly in Greenland and Niels Egede was appointed a merchant. His mother died in 1735 and the family moved back to Europe the following year.
However, Niels Egede missed the work in Greenland and returned in 1738 and again became a merchant in the colony of Godthaab ( Nuuk ). In 1740 he moved to the Christianshaab colony ( Qasigiannguit ). In 1743 he published the report Tredie Continuation af Relationerne concerning the Grønlandske Missions Tilstand og Beskaffenhed (Third continuation of the relations regarding the state and nature of the Greenland mission).
In the same year he left Greenland with poor health and moved to Kristiansund , where from 1745 he was responsible for the weighing and acceptance of commercial products. In the same year he moved to Aalborg and carried out the work there. In 1746 he married Elisabeth Eleonore Brun (1721–1785) in Copenhagen, the daughter of the captain Jørgen Frederik Brun († 1745) and his wife Lovise Jantzen (1703–1736). The marriage resulted in six children, three of whom died young: Hans Nielsen Egede (1747–?), Jørgen Frederik Nielsen Egede (1748–1807), Poul Nicolai Nielsen Egede (* / † 1750), Gerhard Ludvig Nielsen Egede (1752 –1756), Mette Elisabeth Nielsdatter Egede (1753–1756) and Gjertrud Lovise Nielsdatter Egede (1757–1783).
In 1754 he suggested whaling in Disko Bay . The proposal did not meet with great enthusiasm, but in 1759 he was appointed infantry captain and tasked with founding a new colony, which was built on the small fjord of Kangiusaq . In this Egedesminde colony, Niels Egede worked as a merchant. Four years later, it was moved 118 km to the north to where Aasiaat is today . At that time, however, Niels Egede had already been working in the Sydbay colony ( Ukiivik ) for a year . In 1764 the colony was moved 32 km to the south and named Holsteinsborg ( Sisimiut ). In 1774 he received the Pro meritis Medal for his work. In 1776 his son Jørgen Frederik succeeded him as a merchant from Holsteinsborg. Instead, Niels Egede was appointed material manager and whaling inspector. He had also worked as a missionary helper for many years. He retired in 1781 and moved to Denmark the following year, where he died only a few weeks later.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Biography in Dansk Biografisk Leksikon
- ↑ Biography in the Norsk biografisk leksikon
- ↑ Biography in Biografisk Leksikon for Grønland
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Egede, Niels |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Egede, Niels Rasch (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Norwegian merchant and Greenland pioneer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1710 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kirkevåg |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 31, 1782 |
| Place of death | Copenhagen |