Johan Peter Suhr (1712–1785) was a Danish merchant and founder of the trading house J. P. Suhr & Søn. He served as mayor of
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 ...
under Struense. He was the grandfather of
Theodor Suhr.
Early life and education
Johan Peter Suhr was born in Købelev Rectory on the island of
Lolland
Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...
, the son of provost of Købelev and Vindeby Bernt Frederik Suhr and his wife Christine Suhr (née Hornemannpriest). He started an apprenticeship in 1728 with flax shopkeeper Oluf Hansen Aagaard on
Gammeltorv
Gammeltorv (Old Market) is the oldest square in Copenhagen, Denmark. With adjoining Nytorv it forms a common space along the Strøget pedestrian zone. While the square dates back to the foundation of the city in the 12th century, most of its build ...
in Copenhagen. On 22 November 1748, he married the flax shopkeeper's daughter, Anna Dorthea Aagaard.
Career
Suhr took over the business when his father-in-law died in 1749. He became a member of the Flax Shopkeeper's Guild in 1750. The company thrived and Suhr became a grocer in 1767. He traded in a wide range of products, including tar,
linum
''Linum'' (flax) is a genus of approximately 200 species[''Linum''.]
The Jepson Manual. ...
,
hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
, coal, lead and salt. He was also active as a broker and was director of
Søe-Assurance Compagniet and a sugar refinery in
Store Kongensgade
Store Kongensgade ( lit. English. Great King's Street) is the longest street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends northeast from Kongens Nytorv to Esplanaden, running parallel to Bredgade, where it breaks left, continuing northwest to Grøn ...
(Interessenters Sukkerhus). He also served as accountant at Det Kongelige Oktroi-erede Handelskompagni. He was also involved in speculative investments in land, iron and grain and owned his own ships. His fortune grew from 7,200
Danish rigsdaler
The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1875. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively. These currencies were ofte ...
in 1750 to 51,000 rigsdaler in 1760 and had grown to 129,000 rigsdaler in 1770 and 214,000 rigsdaler in 1780.
Suhr had a reputation for being honest, pious and philanthropic. In 1761, he became member of the city council (). In 1771, he became Deputy Mayor.
Suhr's son Ole Bernt Suhr (1762–1815) became a partner in the company in 1782. Being the only surviving son among Johan Peter Suhr's eight children, he became sole owner of the family business after his father's death on 28 May 1785.
See also
*
J. P. Suhr & Søn
References
External links
Johan Peter Suhrat geni.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suhr, Johan Peter
1712 births
1785 deaths
Danish company founders
Danish merchants
People from Lolland
Johan Peter
Burials at the Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen