Peter "Don Pedro" Christophersen (May 28, 1845 – August 19, 1930) 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 ...

businessman, landowner, and diplomat in Argentina.''Norsk Biografisk Leksikon'': Peder Christophersen.
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Early life and family

Christophersen was born in

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 c ...

, the son of the customs official Ole Christophersen (1796–1878) and his wife Tobine Christine Petersen. Christophersen was the brother of Norwegian Foreign Minister

Wilhelm Christopher Christophersen Wilhelm Christopher Christophersen (15 December 1832 – 26 July 1913) was a Norwegian diplomat, noted for his contributions in facilitating the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 and later his service as Minister of Forei ...

(1832–1913), the Danish general consul in Montevideo Otto Thorvald Alexander Christophersen (1834–1896), the Oslo wholesaler and factory owner Christian Eilert Rasch Christophersen (1840–1900), and the diplomat Søren Andreas Christophersen (1849–1933), who also lived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Education and career

Christophersen attended the civil school in Tønsberg, and then spent much of his adult life abroad. From 1865 to 1871 he was a

shipbroker Shipbroking is a financial service, which forms part of the global shipping industry. Shipbrokers are specialist intermediaries/negotiators (i.e. brokers) between shipowners and charterers who use ships to transport cargo, or between buyers an ...

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

. Christophersen went to Argentina in 1871, where he established himself as a shipbroker and landowner. Her served as a vice consul and '' chargé d'affaires'' for Russia from 1881 to 1902, and as a vice consul for Denmark from 1884 to 1902. Christophersen was active in the business world and public life in Argentina. From 1891 to 1908 he served as the chairman for trade law and the stock exchange in Buenos Aires and he took part in several public committees on customs, port matters, and railway development. Christophersen also helped sponsor expeditions, including

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...

's South Pole expedition (1910–1912). He was also a central figure in the negotiations to purchase the ''Asbjørnsen'' and ''Moe''. Christophersen died in

Awards

Christophersen was honored with a number of Norwegian and other orders for his work. In 1901 he was named a knight, first class of the Order of St. Olav, and promoted to commander, first class in 1909 and awarded the order's

grand cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

in 1911 "for political service and public activity." Christophersen received the grand cross of the Swedish

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

. He was named a commander of the Order of the Dannebrog, an officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

, a commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy, a commander of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

, and a knight of the Austrian

Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown ( it, link=no, Ordine della Corona Ferrea) was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name ...

. Christophersen was honored by Russia with the Order of Saint Stanislaus (second class with stars) and the

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

(second class with diamonds). Christophersen also received the Brazilian

Order of the Rose The Imperial Order of the Rose ( pt, Imperial Ordem da Rosa) was a Brazilian order of chivalry, instituted by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 17 October 1829 to commemorate his marriage to Amélie of Leuchtenberg. On 22 March 1890, the order was can ...

. His orders are displayed at the

Fram Museum The Fram Museum ( no, Frammuseet) is a museum telling the story of Norwegian polar exploration. It is located on the peninsula of Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway. Fram Museum is in an area with several other museums including the Kon-Tiki Museum, th ...

in Oslo.

Legacy

Mount Don Pedro Christophersen in Antarctica is named after Christophersen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christophersen, Peter People from Tønsberg 1845 births 1930 deaths Norwegian diplomats Norwegian businesspeople Norwegian expatriates in Spain Norwegian emigrants to Argentina Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Commanders of the Order of Isabella the Catholic