Jacob Benzon (31 October 1688 – 25 November 1775) was a
Danish nobleman, civil servant and
Governor-general of Norway.
Benzon's career began as a court
junker at the
Royal Danish Cavalry Academy 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 ...
1704–06. He held various state positions in Copenhagen 1715–1726. In 1726 he became a
amtmann
__NOTOC__
The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff. He was the most seni ...
of
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 ...
in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, and from 1730 to 1737 he held the same position in
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 ...
. He was then amtmann of
Aarhus from 1740, Vice-Governor of Copenhagen 1747–50 and was from 1750 Vice-
Governor-general of Norway.
After
Charles of Hesse had been the titular Governor-general of Norway for four years (1766–70) without residing in Norway, Benzon was appointed to Governor-general on 26 January 1770, a position he held for only one year. He was deposed on 8 February 1771, leaving the position vacant until 1809.
In the
Danish Biographical Lexicon, he is characterized by these statements:
"He had gradually owned a number of manors in Denmark such as
Aastrup,
Aggersvold and
Benzonsdal, which he again sold. He had a considerable wealth, which he, however, was partly regarded as having amassed by a stinginess which was unworthy of him."
"As a Norwegian official for a long number of years, Benzon had acquired both insight into and interest in Norway's special internal affairs, which of course was evident in many ways in his tenure, and he also enjoyed general positive recognition in Norway."
He became a knight of the
Order of the Dannebrog in 1731, and a knight of the
Order of the Elephant in 1763. Benzon was unmarried, and his fortune was inherited by a nephew.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benzon, Jacob
1688 births
1775 deaths
County governors of Norway
Governors-general of Norway
Danish nobility
Benzon family