Name Hovel Helseth | Died November 8, 1865 | |
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Hovel Helseth (27 August 1779 – 8 November 1865) was a Norwegian industrial entrepreneur and politician. He was a pioneer within the Norwegian textile industry in the first half of the 1800s.
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Background
Helseth was born at Nes (now Ringsaker) in Hedmark, Norway. He was employed by the Teisners merchant trading firm in Kongsberg (1799-1806) and he was a teacher at Alunverkets skole in Oslo (1806-1811).
Career
In 1818, he founded a cotton spinning firm in Drammen (Drammens Bomuldsspinderi) along with local Haugean (haugianere) businessmen. Hans Nielsen Hauge was an initial investor. In 1821, the company was moved to Solbergelva in Nedre Eiker. Solberg spinning mill (Solberg Spinderi) harnessed the power of Solberg watercourse (Solbergvassdraget) and became the first producer of mechanically spun yarn in Norway.
In 1833, Helseth the sole owner of Solberg Spinderi and made efforts to improve operations. He went on a tour of similar operations in Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands. In order to finance new machines to the operation, he found it necessary to sell two-thirds of the company. Along with the new owners In 1844 he acquired new machines from Manchester, England. A period of increasing production and profits followed. In 1857, he sold his interest in the mill and bought a farm in Eiker, where he moved five years later.
He was a deputy to the Norwegian Parliament in 1821, Drammen councilman (1818-1822) and deputy mayor of Eiker (1837-1841). Helseth died in 1865 and was buried in the church yard of Nedre Eiker Church (Nedre Eiker kirke).