1. Jacob Benjamin Wegner was a Norwegian business magnate.
18 Facts About Benjamin Wegner
1. 2.
Benjamin Wegner served as consul general to Norway of the sovereign city-republics of Hamburg, Lubeck and Bremen, and as vice consul of the Kingdom of Portugal.
3.
Jacob Benjamin Wegner, who went by the name of Benjamin, was born in Konigsberg, an important port city on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
4.
Benjamin Wegner's father had previously been married to Regina Dorothea's sister Anna Christina Harder.
5.
Benjamin Wegner received a solid commercial education and joined a leading Konigsberg firm as an apprentice.
6.
Benjamin Wegner was an agent and close associate of the London firm Isaac Solly and Sons and of the Berlin firm Gebruder Benecke and its head Wilhelm Christian Benecke, and spent much time in London.
7.
However, in 1822, Benjamin Wegner was sent by his business associate Wilhelm Christian Benecke to evaluate the profitability of the enterprise and with authorization to buy the company on Benecke's behalf if he found the company to be profitable.
8.
Benjamin Wegner subsequently bought the company at a public auction on behalf of an investment group of which Benecke was the prime investor.
9.
Together with Benecke, Benjamin Wegner owned the Hassel Iron Works from 1835 to 1854, each with half of the shares.
10.
Benjamin Wegner was a co-owner, eventually the largest co-owner, of the major estate Hafslund with large forests in eastern Norway and the country's largest sawmill, from 1835 to 1864.
11.
Benjamin Wegner's co-owners included Benecke and Herman Wedel Jarlsberg, and subsequently Thorvald Meyer and Westye Egeberg.
12.
Benjamin Wegner however retained a part of the Frogner property, Frognerseteren with a part of the Nordmarka forests, until his death.
13.
Benjamin Wegner was appointed as Vice-Consul in Christiania for the Kingdom of Portugal in 1836, as Portugal's most senior representative in Norway.
14.
Benjamin Wegner became Consul in Christiania for the city-state of Lubeck in 1843 and was promoted to Consul-General of Lubeck in 1861.
15.
Benjamin Wegner became Consul-General for Norway of the city-state of Bremen in 1859.
16.
Benjamin Wegner held these four consular offices until his death.
17.
On 15 May 1824, Benjamin Wegner married Henriette Seyler in St Nicholas' Church, Hamburg.
18.
Benjamin and Henriette Wegner had four sons and two daughters, all of whom were born in Norway, where they have many notable descendants.