Name Erik Borresen | ||
Erik Børresen (17 September 1785 – 14 January 1860) was a Norwegian ship owner, merchant and philanthropist.
Erik Andreas Børresen as born in the Bragernes neighborhood of Drammen in Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Lars Børresen (1753-1810) and Karen Flor Robsahm (1764-1825). He followed in his father's footsteps and entered the timber trade. Initially he concentrated on shipping activities on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. He later established himself as a wholesaler of both lumber and grain. During the 1830s, he built several ships in Hurum and later he established his own shipyard in Bragernes. By the 1840s, he had become the owner-operator of one of the largest shipping companies in Drammen.
Personal life
In 1813, he married Anne Hermine Schioldborg (1791-1855), daughter of agent Christian Anker Schioldborg (1768-1819) and Alethe Sophia Hammond (1772-1820). Their marriage was childless. At the time of his death, the bulk of his fortune he bequeathed to the Erik Børresen Foundation (Erik Børresens Stiftelse) which operated an educational institution for children, Børresen school (Børresen skole') on Hauges gate in Drammen.