Stephen Hansen (28 September 1701 – 22 January 1770) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

industrialist, businessman and

General War Commissioner General War Commissioner (from German ''Generalkriegskommissarius'') was a military office in various German states as well as in Denmark-Norway. It was the military officer in charge of national conscription, collection of war contributions, equip ...

. He is most known for his involvement with Kronborg Rifle Factory in

Hellebæk Hellebæk is a town located on the coast five kilometres northwest of Helsingør, North Zealand, some 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It has merged with the neighbouring community of Ålsgårde to form an urban area with a population o ...

and for building

Hellebækgård Hellebækgård (English: Hellebæk House) is a Rococo-style mansion in Hellebæk, Helsingør Municipality, North Zealand, located 5 km northwest of Helsingør and some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The estate is associated the form ...

as well as the Stephen Hansen Mansion on the harbourfront in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

Early life and military career

Hansen was born on 28 September 1701 in the village of Skodsbøl in the Parish of Oddum in western Jutland. Little is known about his early years. In 1728, he was appointed to

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

at the Artillery Regiment and shortly thereafter also to recruitment officer (Danish: Mønsterskriver) and Judge Advocate General (Danish: Auditør) at the Naval Artillery. In 1747, he was appointed to Superior War Commissioner but resigned from the military in 1750 to focus on his civil career as an industrialist and merchant.

Civil career

In 1743, Hansen purchased

and the Hammermøllen industrial enterprise which was in a state of neglect. He expanded the factory and improved operations. He obtained a 20-year monopoly on the manufacture of rifles in Denmark and benefited tremendously from the Seven Year War (1756–1763)when he supplied rifles for the Danish army in Holstein. In 1761, he was appointed to

. Hansen was also involved in trade on the Garoe Islands on which he had a monopoly from 1750 until 1770. In 1759, he commissioned

Philip de Lange Philip de Lange (c. 1705 – 17 September 1766) was a leading Dutch-Danish architect who designed many different types of building in various styles including Dutch Baroque and Rococo. Early life and family Philip de Lange was probably born ...

to build a

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

-style mansion in Strandgade in Helsingør.

Last years

In 1765, Hansen sold Kronborg Rifle Factory to the Danish state for 70,000 Rigsdaler and that same year acquired Frydendal Manor at

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 29,608 (1 January 2022).Frederick's German Church in Copenhagen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Stephen Danish industrialists Danish merchants People from Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality People from Helsingør 1701 births 1770 deaths 18th-century Danish businesspeople 18th-century merchants