Christopher Blom Paus (8 October 1810 – 28 October 1898) was a Norwegian shipowner,

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and banker.

Biography

Paus was born at the estate Rising Nordre in Gjerpen, Norway. Born into the patriciate of the port town of Skien, he was the son of shipowner Ole Paus and Johanne Plesner (formerly married Ibsen). He was the uncle of playwright

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

, as he was both the half brother of Ibsen's father

Knud Ibsen Knud Plesner Ibsen (3 October 1797, in Skien – 24 October 1877, in Skien) was a Norwegian merchant from the city of Skien and the father of the playwright Henrik Ibsen. He is widely considered the model for many central characters in his ...

and the first cousin of Ibsen's mother Marichen Altenburg. He was the brother of judge, Bratsberg governor and Member of Parliament

Christian Cornelius Paus Christian Cornelius Paus (18 October 1800 – 8 April 1879) was a Norwegian lawyer, civil servant and politician. He was Governor of Bratsberg (now Telemark) and a Member of the Norwegian Parliament. Background He was born at Skien in Telema ...

and lawyer Henrik Johan Paus. Christopher Blom Paus owned the house at Snipetorp where the Ibsen family lived from the time of Henrik Ibsen's

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

in 1843 to 1865. Paus started as a wholesaler and eventually concentrated mainly on shipping business. He entered his business career as a clerk in his brother's trading shop. Paus worked from the late 1820s until 1836 for merchant Christopher Hansen Blom in the Blom trading house. In the 1860s he invested heavily in shipping and entered the emigrant trade with runs between Trondheim, Québec and Newcastle. He later became one of Skien's leading shipowner and one of the leader businessman. He was a city councilor in Skien for several years and held other public offices. In addition to being a ship-owner, he was administrative director of the savings bank, ''Skiens Sparebank'' 1874–1887. He was a member of the city council in Skien for several years and held a number of other public positions. Einar Østvedt, ''Skiens historie: Fra 1870 til ca. 1925'', Skien Municipality/Erik St. Nilssen, 1959, pp. 358–359

Personal life

Christopher Blom Paus was married in 1845 to Erasmine Ernst (1817–1914) He was the father of factory owner Ole Paus. His grandson Herman Paus married Countess Tatyana Tolstoy, a granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy. Their descendants own Herresta and other Swedish estates. He was also the great-grandfather of General Ole Paus and the great-great-grandfather of singer Ole Paus. Christopher Blom Paus died at Oslo and was buried at Vår Frelsers gravlund.

References

Other sources

* Arvid Høgvoll; Ruth Bærland (1996) ''Henrik Ibsen: Herregårder, kammerherrer, godseiere og proprietærer: brokker av en slektshistorie'' (Nome antikvariat) {{DEFAULTSORT:Paus, Christopher Blom 1810 births 1898 deaths People from Telemark People from Skien Norwegian merchants Norwegian businesspeople in shipping Norwegian bankers Christopher Blom Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour