Halfdan Wilhelmsen (March 11, 1864 – November 18, 1923) was a Norwegian shipowner and consul. Wilhelmsen was born in Tønsberg, the son of the shipowner Wilhelm Wilhelmsen and his wife Catharina Fredrikke Lorentzen. After graduating from business school, he was employed in brokerage and shipowners' offices in England, Germany, and France. In 1887 he became the co-owner of his father's company, Wilh. Wilhelmsen. He built this up into the largest shipping company in the Nordic region, and he was one of the pioneers in the transition from sailing ships to steamships. Wilhelmsen served as the British and Danish Consul in Tønsberg. In 1909 he was one of the founders of the

Norwegian Shipowners' Association The Norwegian Shipowners Association () is an employers' organization and interest group for Norwegian shipping and offshore companies. The organization's primary fields are national and international industry policies, employer issues, competenc ...

. Among other assignments, Wilhelmsen was Norway's delegate at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and in US government loan negotiations. In 1915 he was appointed knight first class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

. He was also a knight of the Danish

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

and the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

. Halfdan Wilhelmsen Avenue (''Halfdan Wilhelmsens allé'') in Tønsberg is named after him. In 1891 he married Ragnhild Oppen (1869–1952) from Larvik, and their daughter

Else Werring Else Werring, née Wilhelmsen (29 April 1905 – 23 November 1989) was a Norwegian Norwegian Royal Family, royal hostess. Personal life She was born in Tønsberg as a daughter of shipowner Halfdan Wilhelmsen (1864–1923) and Ragnhild Oppen (1869� ...

was born in 1905. Wilhelmsen died after a short illness in 1923.

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