Hans Mustad (26 January 1837 – 27 February 1918) was a Norwegian businessperson. He was instrumental in shaping the company O. Mustad & Søn. Mustad was born in

Vardal Vardal is a former municipality in the old Oppland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now divided between Gjøvik Municipality and Vestre Toten Municipality in the traditional district ...

as the son of Ole Hovelsen Mustad. He was a brother of Kristian Mauritz Mustad and uncle of Sigbjørn Mustad; both were jurists and politicians. Ole Hovelsen Mustad was a politician and businessperson who ran the company ''O. Mustad'', inherited from Hans Mustad's grandfather Hans Schikkelstad in 1843. Hans Mustad married Marie Heyerdahl in 1865. She was a granddaughter of Hieronymus Heyerdahl, Mustad started his working career in 1857, when hired in his father's company. They specialized in production of steel wire and nails, and also ran a foundry and a sawmill.Timeline
- Mustad.no In 1874, Hans Mustad became co-owner, and the company name was changed to O. Mustad & Søn, reflecting the new ownership structure. Under the involvement of Hans Mustad, the production was diversified. First, new products such as

horse shoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toe ...

s, axe heads and

fish hook A fish hook or fishhook, formerly also called angle (from Old English ''angol'' and Proto-Germanic ''*angulaz''), is a hook used to catch fish either by piercing and embedding onto the inside of the fish mouth (angling) or, more rarely, by impal ...

s were introduced. In addition, the company expanded to other cities. In 1875, the company bought property at

Lilleaker Lilleaker is a neighbourhood and industrial site in Ullern, Oslo, Norway. It is located east of the river Lysakerelva. The area is named after the Lilleaker farm. Lilleaker served by the Lilleaker station of the Oslo Tramway, the southern part b ...

Kristiania 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 ...

(now Oslo), adjacent to the Lysaker river. With a nearby waterfall at Fåbrofossen, this location had a history of industry stretching back to the nail works owned by poet Christian Braunmann Tullin, which existed from 1749 to 1830. From 1874, the lot was vacant due to the explosion and subsequent move of the local

nitroglycerine Nitroglycerin (NG), (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine) also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating ...

factory. In 1876, the production of nails and some other iron- and steelware was moved from Vardal to Lilleaker.History
- Mustad Eiendom In 1886 a factory was established in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. In 1889, the foundry was moved to Lilleaker, and the same year a margarine factory was established, entering a new branch of business. In addition, the factory at Vardal started production of fishing flies. In the meantime, Ole Hovelsen Mustad had died (1884), leaving Hans Mustad as the single owner. His five sons became co-owners in 1905. These were Ole Mustad, Jr. (1870–1954), Hans Clarin Hovind Mustad (1871–1948), Halfdan Magnus Mustad (1874–1967), Wilhelm Martin Christie Mustad (1877–1961) and Nicolai Christian Mustad (1878–1970). They subsequently inherited the company upon Hans Mustad's death in 1918. By that time, O. Mustad & Søn was the largest industrial company in Norway, with 2,000 domestic employees as well as several factories abroad. The company eventually became the world's largest producer of fish hooks. Despite the ownership change, the name O. Mustad & Søn was kept. However, not long after its 1970 conversion to a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the lia ...

, it was split into different branches. 1977 saw the split into ''Mustad Industrier AS'' and ''Mustad International Group BV'', whereas the former was split into ''Mustad AS'', ''Mustad Industrier AS'' and ''Mustad Eiendom AS'' in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustad, Hans 1837 births 1918 deaths Norwegian businesspeople People from Gjøvik