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 t ...
in 1814.
Henrik Carstensen was born on the island of Risøya near the town of
Risør
is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as Akland, ...
in
Nedenes 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 in
Søndeled
Søndeled is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964 when it was merged into the municipality of Risør in what is now Agder county. The municipality encom ...
, where he ran both a lumber and shipping business. In 1799, he purchased (''Egelands jernverk'') at
Eikeland in
Gjerstad
Gjerstad is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet, in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with Telemark county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the vil ...
. 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 t ...
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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