Name Julius Jacobsen Role Politician | Died December 25, 1894 | |
Julius Nicolai Jacobsen (19 May 1829 – 25 December 1894) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician. Based at the village of Græsvig, a settlement built around his sawmill Græsvig Brug, he founded the company J. N. Jacobsen & Co. which was successful during his lifetime.
Biography
He was born in the brough of Strømsø in Drammen, Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Andreas Jacobsen (1798–1876) and his wife Adelgunda Margaretha Schive (1808–38). His father was a sexton and school teacher. He graduated from the three-year commercial school at Drammen School of Education (1841-44). After that he was employed by A. J. Boger in Christiania (now Oslo). He moved to Fredrikstad (then Fredriksstad) in 1848 where he was employed by Peder Gelertsen & Co.
In 1852, Jacobsen started his own wooden shop, which became one of the largest in Fredrikstad. He became a self-made businessman acquiring sawmills and exported cargo loads to the Netherlands. He settled at the Lykkeberg estate in the parish of Glemmen which he bought in 1855. Through transactions in 1856 and 1859, he amassed a large property at the village of Græsvig on the peninsula of Onsøy outside of Fredrikstad. He founded a sawmill Græsvig Brug on 1 January 1860, the same day as national sawmill privileges limiting private enterprise were abolished. The sawmill was a catalyst of growth, spurring a significant migration to the district. A school was founded in 1862 for children of workers at the sawmill. Later followed a hall in 1866 and a chapel in 1884. The company was renamed J. N. Jacobsen & Co. in 1863, his brother entering as a business partner.
Jacobsen served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament during the term 1877–1879, representing the constituency of Fredriksstad. He was also a member of the city council's executive committee from 1868 to 1894 and served as deputy mayor for some time.
In 1858 he married Olivia Bredesen (1841–1879). Jacobsen subsequently ordered the erection of a new house at Lykkeberg, drawn in Gothic style by the nationally known architect Paul Due. The house was finished in 1875. However, Olivia died in 1879 after giving birth to their eighth child.
Jacobsen was proclaimed Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1882 and Commander of the same order in 1894. The city council named a street in Fredrikstad after him in 1894.
Following his death, J. N. Jacobsen & Co. was transformed to a limited company. His brother took over the leadership, together with Julius' son-in-law Julius Christian Juel. The youngest son Andreas Julius Jacobsen was involved from 1907. Facing the economic hardships of the time, J. N. Jacobsen & Co. went bankrupt in 1926. The assets were seized and the house at Lykkeberg was sold, the buyer being Fredrikstad municipality who used it as their seat of administration.
His daughter Elna (1870–1958) was married to sports official Johan Sverre between 1893 and 1917.