Grosserer-Societetet

The ('Wholesalers' Society') was a society for wholesale merchants in Copenhagen founded by law in 1742. Since 1714, it was possible to acquire citizenship as a wholesaler in the city. was reorganized in 1817. In 1987 the association was replaced by the Danish Chamber of Commerce.''''

History

was founded by law in 1742. The society was initially headed by a chairman and two elders. Membership in required proof of maintaining an office, being trained as merchant, owning stakes in one or more ships, as well as keeping international correspondence.

In 1797, 48 of Copenhagen's 7080 wholesale merchants with citizenship as were members of . As of 16 June 1809, the number of wholesale merchants in Copenhagen had increased to 173 (cf. list below).

was reorganized in 1817. Its affairs were from then on managed by a committee whose 13 members were elected at the 's annual general meetings.

In 1886, Wilhelmine Rerup became the first female member of . Caroline Herding became the second female member of the organisation.

As of 1969, it was no longer mandatory for businesspeople with the title of (wholesaler) to be members of . In 1987, it merged with (founded in 1901) as (from 2000 and from 2007 part of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, ).

Location

was initially based in bank cashier Lacoppidan's building at Købmagergade 35. As of 1804, its meetings were held in a room in the Sundorph House at Ved Stranden 10. In 1857, Frederick VII sold the building to for 70,000 rigsdaler.

Activities

's committee represented the merchant class equally before the government and the Rigsdag (Parliament) and acted as its external representative wherever it was necessary to safeguard its special interests. was from its 1817 reorganisation based in the Sundorph House prior to purchasing the Stock Exchange building, which it purchased in 1857 and supervised, managed daily stock exchange meetings, issued responses to questions whose answers required special commercial expertise, participated in the election of the members of the Maritime and Commercial Court, held brokerage examinations, participated in the official fixing of the exchange rate and supervised the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Attached to the committee were assessment and arbitration committees for the grain trade, the feed trade, the seed trade and the butter trade, as well as a committee for setting the price quotes for Danish butter. Since 1888, the committee published a detailed annual trade report. Finally, the committee managed the Brockian Business Schools (today Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College; see Niels Brock); a benefit fund, to which fines assessed for not attending the stock exchange on time () are donated; as well as a large number of grants.

Commemoration

Peder Severin Krøyer depicted some of the society's members in his monumental group portrait painting ''From Copenhagen Stock Exchange''. Carl Nielsen wrote a cantata, , to commemorate its 100th anniversary.

Chairmen

''This list is incomplete.''

17421817

18171987

Citizenship as a wholesaler

Died before 1809

Members in 1809

People with citizenship as wholesalers in Copenhagen as of 16 June 1809, arranged chronologically by year that citizenship was acquired:

Citizenship as a wholesaler after 1809

References

The text of this article is mainly taken from

Notes

Sources

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Further reading

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External links

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Grossererstat 1925

{{Authority control

Business organizations based in Denmark
1642 establishments in Denmark
1987 disestablishments