Jørgen Christian Knudsen (5 January
in ''Porsgrunds udvikling 1860-1900'', by A. L. Coll. Hosted by Porsgrunn public library. or 5 December 1843 – 25 December 1922) was a Norwegian ship-owner and politician for the Conservative Party.

Personal life

He was born at Saltrø in

Stokken Stokken is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Aust-Agder Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1919 until 1962 when it was merged into the newly created Moland municipality. T ...

as a son of Christen and Guro Knudsen, née Aadnesdatter. The family bought the farm Frednes in

Eidanger Eidanger is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Porsgrunn Municipality. The administrative centre wa ...

in 1854, and moved there. Jørgen Christian Knudsen had one sister Elen Serine, who married Johan Jeremiassen, and one brother Gunnar.Rønningen (Øvre Frednes)
in ''Gårds og slektshistorie for Eidanger. Fra 1814-1980'', by Per Chr. Nagell Svendsen. Hosted by Porsgrunn public library. Gunnar Knudsen would later become

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...

for the Liberal Party. In 1867 Jørgen Christian Knudsen married Marie Henriette Resch, daughter of Captain Hagbarth Resch. They settled at Frednes farm. In 1868 they had the son Finn Christian Knudsen, and in 1873 the son

Christen Knudsen Christen Knudsen (25 January 1813 - 7 April 1888) was a Norwegian ship-owner.Frednesall� ...

. A daughter married Robert Rafn. Their daughter Gunda married the British diplomat

Christopher Lintrup Paus Christopher "Kiff" Lintrup Paus (; 6 November 1881 in – 28 May 1963) was a British diplomat, who served at the British Embassy in Oslo for several decades, as commercial counsellor and as the British consul in Oslo and head of the British ...

Career

Knudsen was a notable ship-owner, running the company J. C. & G. Knudsen with his brother Gunnar.Frednesalléen 1
in ''Eidanger–Porsgrund'', by Finn C. Knudsen (1932). Hosted by Porsgrunn public library. He was also a shipbuilder and factory owner. The partnership with his brother ended in 1889, and Knudsen ran his own company. The company was passed down to his sons Finn and Christen, and split between them in 1923. One of Knudsen's best known ships was the '' Skomvær'', which was for a time the largest sailing ship in Norway. He was the mayor of Porsgrund municipality in 1893, and vice mayor in 1891, 1892, 1894 and 1895.Ordførere og viceordførere
by Carl Lund. Hosted by Porsgrunn public library. He was elected to the city council for the first time in 1877. He also represented the city in the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

, where he advocated and defended the union with Sweden. He was elected from the constituency ''Porsgrund'' in 1880, 1883, 1886, 1892, 1895, 1898 and 1904. For the first five terms he was a member of the

Standing Committee on Justice The Standing Committee on Justice () is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to judicial system, the probation service, the police, persons performing civilian national service, other judicial i ...

, then the Standing Committee on the Army. In his last term he chaired the Standing Committee on Railways. He was a deputy member of the

Norwegian Nobel Committee The Norwegian Nobel Committee () selects the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize each year on behalf of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's estate, based on instructions of Nobel's will. Five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. ...

from the beginning in 1897, to 1909. He was also a supervisory council member of the Bank of Norway.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knudsen, Joergen Christian 1840s births 1922 deaths Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Date of death missing Mayors of places in Telemark Members of the Storting 1880–1882 Members of the Storting 1883–1885 Members of the Storting 1886–1888 Members of the Storting 1892–1894 Members of the Storting 1895–1897 Members of the Storting 1898–1900 Members of the Storting 1904–1906 Norwegian businesspeople in shipping Place of birth missing Place of death missing Politicians from Porsgrunn