Christian Fredrik Michelet (25 April 1860 – 14 August 1935) was a Norwegian military officer and equestrian.

Personal life

He was born in Christiania as a son of politician

Carl Johan Michelet Carl Johan Michelet (25 July 1826 - 30 January 1902) was a Norwegian lawyer and civil servant. He served as Mayor of Oslo and was elected as a member of the Norwegian Parliament (''Storting''). Biography He was born at Aurskog in Akershus ...

(1826–1902). He was a paternal grandson of Christian Fredrik Michelet (1792–1874), a first cousin of politician Christian Fredrik Michelet and second cousin of theologist Simon Michelet. In 1899 at Ås in

Hakadal Hakadal is a village in the northern part of Nittedal municipality in Akershus, Norway. The village and parish is the site of Hakadal Church (''Hakadal Kirke''). Hakadal Church dates to around 1610 and was originally constructed in a rectangu ...

he married Charlotte Elizabeth "Lizzie" Fearnley. She was a daughter of Thomas Fearnley (1841–1927) and a sister of Thomas Fearnley and

N. O. Young Fearnley Nils Olav Young Fearnley (14 December 1881 – 30 June 1961) was a Norwegian businessperson and landowner. Personal life He was born in Kristiania to the ship-owner Thomas Fearnley (1841–1927) and his wife Elisabeth Young (1854–1932). He ...

. She died in 1955.

Career

took Took is a variant of the English surname Tooke, originally found predominantly in the East Anglia region of the United Kingdom. The name Took may refer to: People *Barry Took (1928–2002), British comedian and television presenter *Steve Pe ...

secondary education, and underwent his officer's training in 1882. He studied riding in Saint-Cyr from 1882 to 1883,

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

from 1890 to 1891 and

horsebreeding Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

and " racial hygiene" in England from 1897 to 1898. He held the rank of Premier Lieutenant from 1889, became ''Rittmester'' in 1896. He headed the Cavalry Riding School from 1903 to 1909, and retreated from the military to ''Landvernet'' in 1920. With the rank of Major, he led ''Oplandenes Dragonregiments Landvernkorps'' until November 1927. His interest in riding and the cavalry also made him a pioneer within

equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, Driving (horse), driving, and Equestrian vaulting, vaulting ...

in Norway. He was both an equestrian, and an official in relevant organizations. He chaired the

Norwegian Equestrian Federation Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

from 1915 to 1922, was a board member of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports ( no, Norges Landsforbund for Idrett), and chaired other, more specialized horse organizations, as well as Øvrevoll Veddeløpsbane. He was credited for establishing the gallop racecourse at Øvrevoll, and also the racecourse at

Gardermoen Oslo Airport ( no, Oslo lufthavn; ), alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is the international airport serving Oslo, Norway, the capital and most populous city in the country. A hub for Flyr, Norse Atlan ...

in 1921. He was nicknamed ''Ridemajoren'' ("the riding major"), and his portrait was painted by

Per Krohg Per Lasson Krohg (18 June 1889 – 3 March 1965) was a Norwegian artist. He is best known for the mural he created for the United Nations Security Council Chamber, located in the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Biography Per Krohg ...

and displayed in . He was decorated with the

King's Medal of Merit in Gold The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

in 1918, and was a Knight, First Class of the Order of the Sword. He received commemorative medals from the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

and the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

. Michelet died at

Snarøya Snarøya is a populated peninsula in the inner Oslofjord in Norway. It belongs to Bærum municipality in Viken (formerly Akershus) county. It is located south of the districts Lysaker, Lagåsen and Fornebu, and has 2,940 inhabitants. History ...

in August 1935. Marshals at his funeral were Christian Fredrik Michelet, Jr. and Paul Michelet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michelet, Christian Fredrik 1860 births 1935 deaths Military personnel from Oslo Norwegian Army personnel Norwegian sports executives and administrators Norwegian male equestrians Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Knights First Class of the Order of the Sword Sportspeople from Oslo