Frederik Gottschalck Haxthausen Due (14 April 1796 – 16 October 1873) was a
Norwegian
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 ...
military officer and statesman. Born in
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
, he entered the military at an early age, and took part in the
Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814. After the two countries entered into
union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
, Due was recruited to the Swedish court, where he was appointed Norwegian state secretary in Stockholm in 1823. In 1841 he became the
Norwegian prime minister
The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...
, and acted as interpreter for
Charles XIV John
Charles XIV John ( sv, Karl XIV Johan; born Jean Bernadotte; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844. Before his reign he was a Marshal of France during the Napoleonic Wars and participat ...
. After resigning in 1858, he spent the years until 1871 as an ambassador to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
.
Early life and career
Due was born in
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
, the son of merchant Carsten Schjødt Due (1762–1809) and Pauline Heltzen (1776–1850).
[ His father's family originated from Duved in Jämtland, Sweden, where from the family name derived.][ His great-grandfather on his mother's side was Frederik Gottschalck von Haxthausen, who had served as First Minister of Norway for a short period in 1814.][
At thirteen years of age, Due began his military education at the Artillery Institute in ]Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
. By 1813 he was a second lieutenant.[ He took part in the Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814, but after the ]union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
between the two countries was a fact, he was recruited by the Swedish court.[ In 1815, he was made adjutant to Prince Oscar – the later King Oscar I.][ Due's career was rapid from this point on, helped by his fluency in French.] He advanced to the ranks of lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
in 1818, and captain in 1819. In 1822, he was promoted to major, and at the same time constituted as Norwegian state secretary in Stockholm, a position to which he was formally appointed the next year. Due now served as interpreter between the francophone King Charles XIV John
Charles XIV John ( sv, Karl XIV Johan; born Jean Bernadotte; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844. Before his reign he was a Marshal of France during the Napoleonic Wars and participat ...
and his Norwegian cabinet.
Prime minister
In 1841, Prime Minister Severin Løvenskiold
Severin Løvenskiold (7 February 1777 – 15 September 1856) was a Norwegian nobleman, politician and the prime minister of Norway.
Family
Severin Løvenskiold, the younger, was born in Porsgrunn in Telemark, Norway to Severin Løvenskiold, t ...
was appointed Governor-general of Norway, Due succeeded him as prime minister on 27 February.[ This made him the first non-]noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Gr ...
prime minister of Norway, a fact that was well received by the more radical elements of the press.[ His came off to a bad start, however, when he decided to keep the government in Christiania (today's ]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 ...
) out of the negotiations over the important Øresund toll. The episode sparked a constitutional crisis, and almost led to Due's impeachment.[ Once the crisis passed, however, the rest of his tenure as prime minister went by without major difficulties.][
After the death of King Charles John in 1844, Due had an equally good working relationship with King Oscar. After the king fell ill in 1858, however, tensions emerged between the regent Prince Charles and the government in Norway.][ ]Jørgen Herman Vogt
Jørgen Herman Vogt (21 July 1784 – 12 January 1862) was a Norwegian politician who served as First Minister of Norway from 1856 to 1858, during the personal union between Sweden and Norway. The first minister was subordinated to the gover ...
, First Minister in Christiania, resigned early in December, which forced Due to resign his position shortly afterwards.[
]
Later life, family and honours
After resigning as prime minister, Due was appointed Swedish-Norwegian ambassador to the courts in Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
. He remained in this position until 1871, when he retired.[ He settled down in Copenhagen, but moved to Christiania in 1873, where he died later the same year.][ He is buried at ]Vår Frelsers gravlund
The Cemetery of Our Saviour ( no, Vår Frelsers gravlund) is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It is located adjacent to the older Old Aker Cemetery and was created in 1808 as a result of the great ...
in Oslo.[
On 28 February 1828, Frederik Due married Alethe Wilhelmine Georgine Sibbern (1812–1887), the daughter of councillor of state ]Valentin Christian Wilhelm Sibbern
Valentin Christian Wilhelm Sibbern (19 September 1779 – 1 January 1853) was a Norwegian government minister and representative at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly.
Biography
Valentin Christian Wilhelm Sibbern was born on the Værne Kloster ...
(1779–1853).[ This marriage also made him brother-in-law of later prime minister Georg Sibbern.][ His nephew was architect ]Paul Due
Paul Due (13 August 1835 – 26 February 1919) was a Norwegian architect and significant contributor to the stations built by the Norwegian State Railways.
Biography
Paul Due was born in Kristiansand, Norway. He graduated in engineering s ...
.[
Due had a keen interest in science; in 1826 was made honorary member of the ]Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for m ...
, and in 1829 member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters ( da, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab, DKNVS) is a Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The ...
.[ He received the ]Order of the Polar Star
The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim.
The Order of t ...
in 1823, and the Grand Cross
Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...
of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav
Royal may refer to:
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in 1858.[
]
References
Further reading
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Due, Frederik Gottschalck Haxthausen
Norwegian Army personnel
Norwegian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
Government ministers of Norway
Prime Ministers of Norway
Norwegian diplomats
Order of the Polar Star
Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour
1796 births
1873 deaths
19th-century Norwegian politicians
Politicians from Trondheim