Morten Wilhelm Wilhelmsen, known as Wilh. Wilhelmsen (12 July 1839 – 16 November 1910), was a Norwegian shipping magnate. Wilhelm Wilhelmsen was born at

Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...

Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...

, Norway. He was apprenticed with Fritz Heinrich Frølich (1807–1877) who was the founder of Christiania Bank and Kreditkasse. His commercial education continued at business firms in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1861, he founded a brokerage business in Tønsberg. His own career as a shipowner began with the purchase of the bark ''Mathilde'' in 1865. The shipping company, Wilh. Wilhelmsen which resulted would eventually become Norway's largest shipping company. By 1886, he had established himself as

's largest shipowner. He was also Mayor of Tønsberg in 1894 and French

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

. He received the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(Knight First Class) and the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. He was married to Catharine Lorentzen (1843–1919). They were the parents of shipowner Halfdan Wilhelmsen (1864–1923), factory owner Finn Wilhelmsen (1867–1951), shipowner Wilhelm Wilhelmsen (1872–1955), and businessman Axel Wilhelmsen (1881–1957).

References

Related Literature

The history of Wilh. Wilhelmsen
* Oscar A. Johnsen: ''Tønsberg historie'', bind 3, 1952–1954 * ''Den Kongelige norske Sankt Olavs orden 1847–1947'', Grøndahl & Søns Forlag, Oslo, 1947 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilhelmsen, Wilhelm 1839 births 1910 deaths People from Tønsberg Mayors of places in Vestfold Norwegian businesspeople in shipping

Wilhelm Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Wilhe ...

Norwegian company founders Recipients of the Legion of Honour