Rasmus Hansen Lange (20 March 1752 8 April 1829) was a Danish Supreme Court attorney,
councilman
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
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 ...
were both built for him. He was a member of
Knud Lyne Rahbek
Knud Lyne Rahbek (18 December 1760 – 22 April 1830) was a Denmark, Danish literary historian, critic, writer, poet and magazine editor.
Biography
Knud Lyne Rahbek was the son of clergyman . He had always wanted to become an actor. In his yout ...
's social circle.
Early life and education
Lange was born on 20 March 1752 in
Frederikssund
Frederikssund () is a Danish town, seat of the Frederikssund Municipality, in the Region Hovedstaden with a population of 16,850 (1 January 2022).
He graduated from
Roskilde Cathedral School
Roskilde Cathedral School ( da, Roskilde Katedralskole, Roskilde Domskole) is a historic high school in Roskilde, Denmark. It was established around 1020 with close connections to Roskilde Cathedral. The school has since 1969 been located on Holbæ ...
in 1769. and acquired his cand. jur. degree from the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
in 1773. The father's business in Frederikssund was continued by Rasmus Lange's younger half-brother Jørgen Hansen Lange (1765–1831).
Career
In 1777, Lange was licensed as a lawyer in Copenhagen. In 1781, he qualified as a Supreme Court attorney. From 1796 to 1819, Lange served as manager of the West Indies Warehouse under the Generaltoldkammeret. From 1810 to 1821, he also served as director of Frederick's Royal Hospital.
Politics and appointments
In 1806, he was elected as
councilman
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
in Copenhagen. In 1809, he was appointed . In 1819, he was appointed .
From 1798 to 1829, he served as manager of Den Langeske Stiftelse in
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
.
Personal life
Lange married Frederikke Christine Hellesen (1761–1845) on 7 January 1789 in St. Nicolas' Church. The couple had no children. They were members of Knud Lyhne Rahbek's social circle. He is frequently mentioned in Rahbek's memoirs.
Lange owned the property at Nørregade 4 in Copenhagen (then No. 24*/245). He was the owner of a comprehensive library. The building was destroyed during the British bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807. He was also active as a real estate developer and investor. The listed buildings at Skindergade 44 and Kompagnistræde (1800) in Copenhagen were thus both built and owned by him.
Lange died on 8 April 1829 and is buried in
Assistens Cemetery
Assistens Cemetery ( da, Assistens Kirkegård) is the name of a number of cemeteries in Denmark. The common nominator is, as the first part of the name implies (Latin: ''assistens'' meaning assisting), an assisting cemetery for a town's churches. ...
. His home was located at Løngangsstræde No. 171.
He is seen together with other members of the Lange family in an 1809 painting by the German-Swiss painter (1780–1861).
The other people seen in the painting are customs inspector Lauge Severin Fanøe, Marie Margrethe Fanøe (née Lange), Frederikke Lange (née Hellesen), ferryman and royal actor Hans Christian Knudsen, Sophie Frederikke Lange (née Knudsen), Lange's brother Jørgen Hansen Lange and nephew Rasmus Lange.