Erling Sven Lorentzen (28 January 1923 – 9 March 2021) was a Norwegian-Brazilian shipowner and industrialist. He founded
Aracruz Celulose
Aracruz Celulose S.A. was a Brazilian manufacturer of Pulp (paper), pulp and paper. In 2009 it merged with Votorantim Celulose e Papel, VCP and was renamed Fibria. The new company maintained its headquarters in Sao Paulo, and is a supplier of bl ...
in 1968. He was the widower of
Princess Ragnhild, the eldest child of King
Olav V of Norway
Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991.
Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...
. In addition to being a Norwegian princess, his wife was in the
line of succession to the British throne
Succession to the British throne is determined by descent, gender, legitimacy and religion. Under common law, the Crown is inherited by a sovereign's children or by a childless sovereign's nearest collateral line. The Bill of Rights 1689 a ...
and occupied the 18th place at the time of her birth. Erling Lorentzen was a member of the
Lorentzen family of shipping magnates.
Life and career
Lorentzen was born in
Oslo
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 ...
as the son of
Øivind Lorentzen
Øivind Sven Lorentzen (14 October 1882 – 9 May 1980) was a Norwegian shipping magnate.
Pre-war life and career
He was born in Holmestrand as a son of ship-owner Hans Ludvig Lorentzen (1839–1904) and Thala Margrethe Bredrup (1847–1941). His ...
(1882–1980) and Ragna (née Nilsen; 1885–1976). He worked for the
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...
, a British military unit, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
He owned 28% of
Aracruz Celulose
Aracruz Celulose S.A. was a Brazilian manufacturer of Pulp (paper), pulp and paper. In 2009 it merged with Votorantim Celulose e Papel, VCP and was renamed Fibria. The new company maintained its headquarters in Sao Paulo, and is a supplier of bl ...
, which he sold for approximately US$1.7 billion in July 2008.
His family's business was a merchant marine, and the Lorentzens had a line from the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
to the east coast of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. In the early 1950s, Erling planned a visit to Brazil to meet with his representatives. At the time, they transported
liquefied petroleum gas
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas) is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, propylene, butylene, isobutane and n-butane.
LPG is used as a fuel gas in heating appliances, cooking e ...
from the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.
On the way to Brazil, Erling learned that Esso wanted to sell its gas distribution company in Brazil. So instead of visiting their representatives, Erling sought to know more about such a company that was for sale, which would expand the LPG transportation business. When Lorentzen bought the company, Erling moved to Brazil permanently.
The company grew considerably, but Lorentzen sold it in 1972. After the sale, he started other businesses, such as
Aracruz Celulose
Aracruz Celulose S.A. was a Brazilian manufacturer of Pulp (paper), pulp and paper. In 2009 it merged with Votorantim Celulose e Papel, VCP and was renamed Fibria. The new company maintained its headquarters in Sao Paulo, and is a supplier of bl ...
.
Marriage and children
Lorentzen married
Princess Ragnhild, elder granddaughter of the then-reigning
King Haakon VII
Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957.
Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...
, on 15 May 1953 in
Asker
Asker ( no, Asker), properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken (also known as Greate ...
, Norway. He was thus the brother-in-law of
King Harald V
Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991.
Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the lin ...
,
Queen Sonja
Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V.
Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relation ...
and
Princess Astrid.
The couple had three children together; Haakon (born 23 August 1954), Ingeborg (born 27 February 1957), and Ragnhild (born 8 May 1968).
Honours
* : Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of the Southern Cross
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 18 ...
* : Knight Commander of the
Order of St. Olav
* : Recipient of the
St. Olav's Military Medal
* : Recipient of the
Norwegian War Medal
__NOTOC__
The War Medal ( no, Krigsmedaljen) is a Norwegian war decoration for service during Second World War, and later for meritous service during war.
Criteria
The Norwegian War Medal was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway by Royal Decre ...
* : Recipient of the
1940–1945 Defence Medal
* : Recipient of the
70th Birthday Medal of King Haakon VII
* : Recipient of the
King Haakon VII Commemorative Medal
The King Haakon VII Commemorative Medal of October 1, 1957 ( no, Kong Haakon VIIs minnemedalje 1. oktober 1957) is a Norwegian award created to commemorate the deceased monarch on the occasion of his funeral. King Haakon's funeral took place on ...
* : Recipient of the
Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Haakon VII
* : Recipient of the
King Olav V Silver Jubilee Medal
* : Recipient of the
King Olav V Commemorative Medal
* : Recipient of the
Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Olav V
* : Recipient of the
Royal House Centenary Medal
* : Recipient of the
King Harald V Silver Jubilee Medal
References
External links
Lorentzen Family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorentzen, Erling
1923 births
2021 deaths
Businesspeople from Oslo
Norwegian company founders
Erling
People with acquired Brazilian citizenship
Norwegian expatriates in Brazil
Brazilian businesspeople
Harvard Business School alumni
Norwegian military personnel of World War II
Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel
Order of Saint Olav
Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch
Brazilian people of Norwegian descent