Henrik Carstensen (30 October 1753 – 15 September 1835) was a Norwegian businessman, timber merchant and shipowner. He served as a representative at the
Norwegian Constituent Assembly
The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...
in 1814.
Henrik Carstensen was born on the island of Risøya near the town of
Risør in
Nedenes
Nedenes is a village in Arendal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the southern part of Arendal, just north of the municipal border with Grimstad. The Norwegian County Road 420 runs through the village heading north ...
county, Norway. Henrik Carstensen went to sea in his younger years and was a captain by 1775. From 1780, he was skipper on his own ship. In 1788, he started trading in
Risor
''Risor ruber'', the Tusked goby, is a species of goby native to reefs of the western Atlantic Ocean from southern Florida to the Bahamas and south to northern Brazil. This species associates with barrel sponges, sometimes living within ...
in
Søndeled, where he ran both a lumber and shipping business. In 1799, he purchased (''Egelands jernverk'') at
Eikeland
Eikeland is a village in southeastern part of the municipality of Gjerstad in Agder, Norway. It is located about southeast of the municipal center of Gjerstad and about north of the village of Søndeled. The Norwegian County Road 418 runs throug ...
in
Gjerstad. Over time, he bought forested acreage estates, operated sawmills and a distillery. In 1833 he retired from the business, which he conferred upon his nephew, Carsten Henrik Carstensen (1796–1852), whom he had adopted in 1821.
He represented
Øster Risøer at the
Norwegian Constituent Assembly
The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...
in 1814 where he followed the union party (''Unionspartiet''), but later supported the independence party (''Selvstendighetspartiet'').
References
External links
''Representantene på Eidsvoll 1814'' (Cappelen Damm AS)
''Men of Eidsvoll'' (eidsvollsmenn)
Related Reading
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1753 births
1835 deaths
People from Risør
Norwegian merchants
Fathers of the Constitution of Norway
18th-century Norwegian businesspeople
19th-century Norwegian businesspeople
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