Lars Christensen (6 April 1884 – 10 December 1965) was a Norwegian shipowner and

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

. He was also a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

with a keen interest in the exploration of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

Career

Lars Christensen was born at Sandar in

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...

, Norway. Born into a wealthy family, Christensen inherited his whaling fleet from his father, Christen Christensen. After completing middle school in 1899, he received training in Germany and at Newcastle followed by trade college in Kristiania (now Oslo). He started his career as a ship owner in 1906. He ventured into the

industry in 1909, and directed several companies, including

Framnæs Mekaniske Værksted Framnæs shipyard (Framnæs mekaniske Værksted) was a former Norwegian shipbuilding and engineering firm headquartered in Sandefjord, in Vestfold county, Norway. Originally strongly linked to the whaling industry, in later years it entered into mor ...

, AS Thor Dahl, AS Odd, AS Ørnen, AS Thorsholm and Bryde og Dahls Hvalfangstselskap. Christensen was Danish consul in Sandefjord from 1909. In 1910 Lars Christensen had married Ingrid Dahl (1891–1976), daughter of wholesale merchant and ship owner Thor Dahl (1862–1920). He would later assume control of large part of his father's and his father-in-law's extensive businesses following their deaths during the 1920s. '' Endurance'', the ship that became famous after Sir Ernest Shackleton's failed Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914, was originally built for Christensen, who intended to use her for

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

cruises for tourists to hunt polar bears. When this did not happen, Christensen sold the ship to Shackleton. Christensen had a deep interest in

and its animal life. He was particularly interested in making geographical discoveries, and gave his captains wide latitude to do so. He financed several expeditions specifically devoted to the exploration of the Antarctic continent and its waters, and participated in some of these himself, even bringing his wife Ingrid with him in the 1936–1937 expedition. He was among the first to use aerial surveying with

seaplanes A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

to map the coast of East Antarctica, which he completed from the Weddell Sea to the

Shackleton Ice Shelf Shackleton Ice Shelf is an extensive ice shelf fronting the coast of East Antarctica from 95° E to 105° E. It extends for an along-shore distance of about , projecting seaward about in the western portion and in the east. It occu ...

, concentrating on

Bouvetøya Bouvet Island ( ; or ''Bouvetøyen'') is an island claimed by Norway, and declared an uninhabited protected nature reserve. It is a subantarctic volcanic island, situated in the South Atlantic Ocean at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ri ...

and the region from Enderby Land to

Coats Land Coats Land is a region in Antarctica which lies westward of Queen Maud Land and forms the eastern shore of the Weddell Sea, extending in a general northeast–southwest direction between 20°00′W and 36°00′W. The northeast part was discove ...

. From the seaplane brought on the 1936–1937 expedition, members took 2,200 oblique aerial photographs, covering . Mrs Christensen became the first woman to fly over the continent. Sandefjord Muzeum Wielorybnictwa 2

On 1 December 1927, as the leader of one of his financed expeditions, Christensen landed on and claimed the Bouvet Island (''Bouvetøya'') for Norway; it had previously been claimed by Great Britain, but the British soon abandoned their claim and recognised the island as Norwegian. On the expeditions he financed between 1927 and 1937, Christensen's men discovered and surveyed substantial new land on the Dronning Maud Land and

MacRobertson Land Mac. Robertson Land is the portion of Antarctica lying southward of the coast between William Scoresby Bay and Cape Darnley. It is located at . In the east, Mac. Robertson Land includes the Prince Charles Mountains. It was named by the British A ...

coasts. Places in Antarctica named after Christensen include the Lars Christensen Peak, the Lars Christensen Coast as well as Lars Christensen Land, also known as MacRobertson Land, where the (now closed) Russian Soyuz station operated. In addition,

Ingrid Christensen Coast The Ingrid Christensen Coast is that portion of the coast of Antarctica lying between Jennings Promontory, in 72°33′E, and the western end of the West Ice Shelf in 81°24′E. It is located in the western half of Princess Elizabeth Land, just e ...

was named after Christensen's wife, one of the first women to visit Antarctica. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Christensen was Counsellor of Finance at The Royal Norwegian Embassy in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

and a member of the Nortraship Council. After the War, the Thor Dahl Group, under the leadership of Christensen, regained its position as one of the leaders in the industry. The business also gained an increasing number of other shipping companies, both tankers and liner shipping.

Philanthropy

Together with Otto Sverdrup and

Oscar Wisting Oscar Adolf Wisting (6 June 1871 – 5 December 1936) was a Norwegian Naval officer and polar explorer. Together with Roald Amundsen he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. Biography Oscar Wisting was born in ...

, Christensen initiated an expedition to recover another famous ship, the ''

Fram Fram may refer to: Ships * ''Fram'' (ship), an arctic exploration vessel from Norway * MS ''Fram'', expedition cruise ship owned by Hurtigruten Group Places and geography * Fram, Paraguay, a town in Itapúa, Paraguay * Fram Formation, a se ...

''. In 1935 the ''Fram'' was installed in the museum where it now stands; the Fram Museum in Oslo. Sandefjord Whaling Museum (''Hvalfangstmuseet i Sandefjord) '') was donated to

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 ...

in 1917. This was one of the first dedicated museum buildings in Norway. In his travels, Christensen collected a considerable volume of literature, including much on the subject of whaling; his interests included research as well as merely supporting the industry. This material was donated to the library of Sandefjord Museum in the 1920s and 1930s. Christensen also provided funds for the further expansion of the Whaling Museum's library, which was overseen by shipping broker, author and consultant Bjarne Aagaard (1873-1956), whose extensive book collection also formed a major addition to the library. The

Whaler's Monument Whaler's Monument, also known as The Whaling Monument (Norwegian: ''Hvalfangstmonumentet''), is a rotating bronze memorial statue situated by the harbor in Sandefjord, Norway. It is located at the end of Jernbanealleen, which is the main street i ...

('' Hvalfangstmonumentet'') was first unveiled in 1960. The rotating bronze memorial statue is situated by the harbour at the end of Jernbanealleen in Sandefjord. The monument was created by Norwegian sculptor

Knut Steen Knut Steen (19 November 1924 – 22 September 2011) was a Norwegian sculptor. Steen lived in Sandefjord for most of his life and dedicated works such as the Whaler's Monument to the city. Many of his sculptures may also be seen at Midtåsen ...

. The costs associated with the design and construction of the sculpture were donated to the city by Lars Christensen. In 1962, Christensen funded the cost of the construction of Olav Chapel (''Olavskapellet'') in Sandefjord. Outside the building is a relief of Saint Olav by sculptor

Ragnhild Butenschøn Ragnhild Butenschøn, née Jakhelln (21 September 1912 – 3 September 1992) was a Norwegian sculptor. She was especially known for her church art. Personal life She was born in Oslo, Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, She was a daughter of major Al ...

. The frame around the front door shows Bible motifs designed by

Finn Henrik Bodvin Finn Henrik Bodvin (October 12, 1928 – August 12, 2002) was a Norwegian sculptor. Biogeraphy Bodvin was born in Trondheim, Norway. Bodvin received his art education at the University of Detroit Mercy and Wayne State University in Detroit (1950) ...

. The altar image was painted by

Hugo Lous Mohr Hugo Lous Mohr (27 September 1889 – 20 February 1970) was a Norwegian painter. Biography He was born in Mandal in Vest-Agder, Norway. He was the son of Olaf Eugen Mohr (1856–1933) and Jeanette Lous (1860–1942). His father was a vicar at ...

Honors

He was decorated as a commander of the Order of Vasa. In 1917 he was appointed Commander of the Order of Dannebrog. He was appointed to knight 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 ...

in 1931 and in 1944 he received the Commander's Cross with the Star of Order of St. Olav. Christensen was awarded an honorary doctorate at

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

. Christensen was a fellow of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters and received its Gunnerus Medal, and an honorary fellow of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

. He was an honorary member of the Norwegian Geographic Society and in the Royal Norwegian Science Society in Trondheim and was awarded of the American Geographical Society

David Livingstone Centenary Medal The David Livingstone Centenary Medal was established in March 1913 by the Hispanic Society of America. The establishment commemorates the 100th anniversary of David Livingstone’s birth. Designed by Gutzon Borglum, this medal is awarded by the A ...

in 1935.

Career

Philanthropy

Honors

References

Related reading