Peder Brønnum Scavenius (6 January 1795 - 4 December 1868) was a
Danish landowner and politician. He was the owner of
Gjorslev on the
Stevns Peninsula
Stevns Peninsula is a peninsula on Zealand in Denmark. It is separated from Zealand
Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size ...
,
Klintholm on
Møn
Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg Municipality, Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langeb ...
and
Petersgaard at
Vordingborg
Vordingborg () is a market town and old ferry town on the south coast of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...
. He was an also involved in politics and by royal appointment a member of the
Danish Constituent Assembly.
Early life and career
Scavenius was born on 6 January 1795 in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, the eldest son of
Jacob Brønnum Scavenius and Karine L. Debes. His father had purchased
Gjorslev, Erikstrup and Søholm on Stevns from the Lindencrone family in 1793 after spending 14 years in the service of the
Danish Asiatic Company
Danish Asiatic Company (Danish language, Danish: Asiatisk Kompagni) was a Denmark-Norway, Danish trading company established in 1730 to revive Danish-Norwegian trade on the Danish East Indies and China following the closure of the Danish East Ind ...
in Bengal. Peder Brønnum Scavenius earned a law degree (cand.jur.) in 1816 and then worked for the Treasury until 1834.
Property and titles
Scavenius inherited Gjorslev and the other estates on
Stevns upon his mother's death in 1825. He purchased
Klintholm Manor on
Møn
Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg Municipality, Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langeb ...
from his younger brother in 1926. He purchased
Petersgaard at
Vordingborg[ in 1864.
He was appointed as ''Kammerjunker'' in 1818 and chamberlain (''Kammerherre'') in 1840. He was ennobled in 1843. He was made a Order of the Dannebrog">Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1945 and a Commander in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1854.
Politics and public offices
In June 1837, Scavenius was elected as one of 15 board members of a committee that worked for the creation of the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen.
He was for a while president of Præstø Amts Landøkonomiske Forening and a member of Præstø County Council in 1842–54. He instigated the construction of Rødvig, Rødvig Harbour9. He was a member of Roskilde Constituent Assembly (Roskilde Stænderforsamling) in 1835– 48 and was later appointed by the king for the
Danish Constituent Asscembly in 1848–49. He was a defensor of the estate owners' rights, arguing in favour of a model which only converted half of all copyholds into freeholds while the other half should remain in the free ownership of estate owners. He opposed the idea of a free constitution, arguing in favour of keeping
kongeloven in a modified form and describing the king's position in the new constitution as "an automat...
....a decorated Puppet which for festive occasions could be displayed in Processions for the amusement of the public". Scavenius' proposal was only supported by six votes. He was not elected for the new ''rigsdag'' but was appointed for ''
rigsrådet'' by the king in 1854–59. He was one of the founders of the October Association in 1865.
Personal life
Scavenius married Charlotte Sophie Meincke (8 December 1811 – 24 June 1872) on 12 May 1837 in the
Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen. She was a daughter of military prosecutor Carl Henrik Lydius Meincke (1787–1862) and Anna Elisabeth Dorothea Falck (1784–1863). He was the father of Jacob Scavenius (1838–1915).
Scavenius was an amateur astronomer and the owner of an extensive collection of maps and books. He died on 4 December 1868 and is buried at
Holtug Cemetery.
His eldest son
Jacob Scavenius inherited Ghorslev, his second son Carl Scavenius inherited Klintholm and the youngest son inherited Petersgaard. Klintholm is still owned by the family.
References
External links
Peder Brønnum Scaveniusat geni.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scavenius, Peder Bronnum
19th-century Danish landowners
19th-century Danish politicians
University of Copenhagen alumni
Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog
Scavenius family
1795 births
1868 deaths