Abraham Pelt (11 February 1695 - 14 April 1783) was a Danish industrialist and philanthropist.

Early life

Pelt was born in Copenhagen, the son of Hans Peter Pelt (died 1715) and Dorothea Kellinghusen (died 1732). In 1708, his father, who was originally from the Netherlands, obtained a license to establish Copenhagen's second sugar refinery. The sugar refineries were generally some of the most profitable industrial enterprises in the country at the time.

Career

Pelt inherited a thriving sugar refinery business. It was originally located in Christianshavn but relocated to No. 5 in the city's North Quarter (now

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 build ...

14-16 and

Nørregade Nørregade (literally "North Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, linking Gammeltorv in the south with Nørre Voldgade in the north. Landmarks in the street include Church of Our Lady, Bispegården, St. Peter's Church and Folk ...

7) after the

Copenhagen Fire of 1728 The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of 20 October 1728 and continued to burn until the morning of 23 October. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city (measured by cou ...

. Pelt was active in the Danish Asiatic Company and served as a bank commissioner at Kurantbanken in 1759-74.

Personal life

Pelt married on 18 November 1743 in the Church of Our Saviour Maria Elisabeth Mushardt (13 3 May 1725 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 ...

– 1 2 February 1760 in Copenhagen), daughter of later Major-General Christian Eberhardt Mushardt (died 1732). They had one child, a son, Peter Pelt, who died in 1770. Abraham Pelt died in 1783. He is buried in St. Peter's Church. The sugar refinery, which had by then moved to a site next to the Exchange Dock, was taken over by Pelt's associated

Hinrich Ladiges Hinrich Ladiges (14 January 1731 – 4 March 1805) was a German-Danish sugar manufacturer. He owned two sugar refineries in Copenhagen and died as one of the wealthiest men in the country. He died unmarried and left much of his estate to charity ...

(1731-1805). He was also the owner of a sugar refinery in Naboløs.

Pelts Stiftelse

In 1779, having no longer any living heirs, Pelt established a home for 16 elderly men and women, Pelts Plejestiftelse (or Den Peltske Stiftelse), which was located in

Larslejsstræde Larslejsstræde is a street in the Latin Quarter of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It links Sankt Peders Stræde with Nørre Voldgade. History The street was originally a cul-de-sac affording access to St. Peter's graveyard and a house that belon ...

, adjacent to two similar institutions. One had been operated by St. Peter's Church while the other, Thymes Stiftelse, had been established by Winand Thyme in 1775. They were later merged under the name '' Skt. Petri kirkes, Thymes og Pelts plejestiftelse''. It was destroyed in the British bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807 but a new and larger building was completed after the war. A new building (Larslejsstræde 7) was built in 1899 to design by the architect Frederik Levy. It was built as part of a larger complex which also comprised new precises for the Herman congregation's Sankt Petri Schule. The new building contained 38 one-room apartments as well as various residences for people associated with the school, congregation or church. Most of the residents were German expatriate women. In 1997, the building was sold to the school which needed more space for its increasing number of students.

References

External links

Abraham Pelt
at geni.com
1787 census
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelt, Abraham 1695 births 1783 deaths 18th-century Danish businesspeople Danish businesspeople in shipping Danish sugar industry businesspeople Danish industrialists Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish people of Dutch descent