Simon Karenius Høegh (7 September 1810 – 28 December 1893) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

bank treasurer, merchant and politician.Storgaden 131
in ''Eidanger–Porsgrund'', by Finn C. Knudsen (1932). Hosted by Porsgrunn public library.

Personal life

Simon Karenius Høegh was born in 1810. He was originally christened Søren, because the baptizer was almost "deaf", however the mistake was resolved.Anders Jensen og slekten Høegh i Brevik
by Nicolay W. Coch. Hosted by Porsgrunn public library. His father Anders Jensen Høegh was described by one historian as a "common, enterprising, skillful burgher of Brevig". He had been married for the second time, to Cathrine Cudrio, née Zachariassen. Simon Karenius Høegh married Karen Sophie Wiborg (1815-1905) in 1843. She was the daughter of Simon Grotter Wiborg and his wife Karen, née Holst, from

Tønsberg Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative ce ...

. Karen Sofie Høegh became a noted

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...

. The couple got three sons, one of whom became

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

, and three daughters.

Career

Simon Karenius Høegh finished school in 1827, and left for

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

to learn the English language. He returned to Norway and took a business and trade exam in

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

in 1831. In 1837 he acquired burghership in

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsj ...

. He started his own business, helped by a 1000

speciedaler The rigsdaler specie was a unit of silver currency used in Norway, renamed as the speciedaler in 1816 and used until 1873. Norway used a common reichsthaler currency system shared with Denmark, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein until 1873 when the go ...

funding from his father and grandmother. He started timber merchantry, and bought one

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

as a freight vessel. He later expanded from this starting point, becoming a ship-owner. He was also elected mayor of Brevig in 1840. In 1851 he moved to

Porsgrund Porsgrund Porcelain Factory (''Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik'', abbreviated PP) is a porcelain flatware company located at Porsgrunn in Telemark county, Norway. History The company's production plant is a popular tourist attraction. The company wa ...

, almost by coincidence according to historians. He was present at the auction which followed the death of businessman, consul and politician Jens Gasmann, and there Høegh bought Gasmann's property. In Porsgrund Høegh set up a beer brewery, later turned to a bakery. He also owned a gunpowder factory, but it exploded in 1875. By then he had been appointed treasurer of Porsgrund savings bank, a job he held from 1868 to his death in 1893. Despite having left Brevig, Høegh was still active in politics. He was elected mayor of Porsgrund municipality for the year 1855. He also held the position of vice mayor in 1854, 1858, 1863, 1864 and 1866.Ordførere og viceordførere
by Carl Lund. Hosted by Porsgrunn public library. He was also active in a local branch of the Norwegian Seamen's Mission. Selskaber og foreninger af kristelig, almennyttig, faglig, politisk og selskabelig art
by Carl Lund. Hosted by Porsgrunn public library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoeegh, Simon Karenius 1810 births 1893 deaths Politicians from Porsgrunn Mayors of places in Telemark Norwegian bankers