Adam Hiorth
Encyclopedia
Adam Hiorth was a Norwegian merchant and industrial pioneer.
, as the son of shipper Fredrik Wilhelm Hiorth and Louise Caroline Brodersen. He married Anne Sofie Sommerfelt in 1849. He was an uncle of engineer Fredrik Hiorth and the grandfather of painter Agnes Hiorth
. He died in Aker
in 1871.
A son of Adam Hiorth married Giggi Sommerfelt, a daughter of dean Halfdan Einar Sommerfelt and granddaughter of Hiorth's business partner Ole Gjerdrum
.
and French language
, and eventually passed the necessary examinations for getting a trading licence. In 1837 he started an agency in groceries and textiles, and in 1841 he co-founded the association Handelens Venner. He travelled to England to study new industrial technologies, in particular the cotton
industry in Manchester
.
Hiorth co-founded the company Nydalens Compagnie
in 1845, along with wholesaler Hans Gulbranson
, bailiff Ole Gjerdrum
and engineer Oluf Nicolai Roll
. The group bought rights to waterfalls of the river Akerselva
in the valley Nydalen
, where they built a cotton mill
and later a weaving mill. Nydalens Compagnie developed into the largest textile company in Norway from the 1890s. It has also been said that Nydalens Compagnie, together with Nedre Vøiens Bomuldsspinderie
, signalled the beginning of Norway's industrialization.
Hiorth also founded Christiania Mekaniske Væveri in 1847, together with Gulbranson, Roll, Peter J. K. Petersen and Iver Olsen. In 1857 Hiorth was a co-founder of the association Akerselvens Brugseierforening
, a coordinading body for factories exploiting the waterfalls of the river Akerselva
. Hiorth chose to resign as manager for the spinning mill in 1860, but was still a member of the board of directors. He was also a joint owner of other textile factories and of the match factory Jølsens Tændstikfabrik, and ran a trading company that imported lamp oil and machinery equipment.
Personal life
Hiorth was born in DrøbakDrøbak
Drøbak is an unincorporated city and the centre of the municipality of Frogn, in Akershus county, Norway. The city is located along the Oslofjord, and has 13,358 inhabitants....
, as the son of shipper Fredrik Wilhelm Hiorth and Louise Caroline Brodersen. He married Anne Sofie Sommerfelt in 1849. He was an uncle of engineer Fredrik Hiorth and the grandfather of painter Agnes Hiorth
Agnes Hiorth
Agnes Hiorth was a Norwegian painter. She was born in Kristiania. She studied with painters Pola Gauguin, Axel Revold and Georg Jacobsen, and is known for her landscapes and portraits. The National Gallery of Norway owns eight of her works, including a self portrait, portraits and landscapes...
. He died in Aker
Aker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
in 1871.
A son of Adam Hiorth married Giggi Sommerfelt, a daughter of dean Halfdan Einar Sommerfelt and granddaughter of Hiorth's business partner Ole Gjerdrum
Ole Gjerdrum
Ole Eliassøn Gjerdrum was a Norwegian jurist, civil servant and businessperson.-Career:He was born in Stange. He was a clerk for the district stipendiary magistrate until 1811. He then worked in Copenhagen and studied law, but when Norway achieved independence in 1814 he returned to his country of...
.
Career
Hiorth finished school at 14, and then started working as a shop assistant. He was gradually given more responsibilities in the business, and also studied EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and eventually passed the necessary examinations for getting a trading licence. In 1837 he started an agency in groceries and textiles, and in 1841 he co-founded the association Handelens Venner. He travelled to England to study new industrial technologies, in particular the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
industry in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Hiorth co-founded the company Nydalens Compagnie
Nydalens Compagnie
Nydalens Compagnie was a company in Nydalen, Oslo, Norway. It was founded in 1845 as a textile manufacturer, and from 1963 to 1998 it was a real estate company.-History:...
in 1845, along with wholesaler Hans Gulbranson
Hans Gulbranson
Hans Gulbranson was a Norwegian businessperson.He hailed from Modum. He was a wholesaler in Christiania, and was one of the wealthiest persons in Norway's capital. He is best known as a founder of Nydalens Compagnie in 1845 together with Adam Hiorth, Ole Gjerdrum and Oluf N. Roll. Gulbranson was...
, bailiff Ole Gjerdrum
Ole Gjerdrum
Ole Eliassøn Gjerdrum was a Norwegian jurist, civil servant and businessperson.-Career:He was born in Stange. He was a clerk for the district stipendiary magistrate until 1811. He then worked in Copenhagen and studied law, but when Norway achieved independence in 1814 he returned to his country of...
and engineer Oluf Nicolai Roll
Oluf Nicolai Roll
Oluf Nicolai Roll was a Norwegian engineer, architect and politician. He was responsible for the industrial development of the area around the river Akerselva in Christiania, and served as Director General of Statens Havnevesen from 1861 to 1896.-Personal life:Roll was born in Trondhjem, the son...
. The group bought rights to waterfalls of the river Akerselva
Akerselva
Akerselva, or Akerselven, is a river which flows through Oslo. It starts at Maridalsvannet in Oslomarka, and follows the urban areas Nordre Aker, Sagene, Grünerløkka, Oslo centre and Grønland, whereby it finally ends at Paulsenkaien and Oset in Bjørvika. The river is considered to be a part of the...
in the valley Nydalen
Nydalen
Nydalen is a neighbourhood in the Nordre Aker borough in northern Oslo, Norway.- History :Since the late 19th century Nydalen has been a largely industrial area...
, where they built a cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
and later a weaving mill. Nydalens Compagnie developed into the largest textile company in Norway from the 1890s. It has also been said that Nydalens Compagnie, together with Nedre Vøiens Bomuldsspinderie
Nedre Vøiens Bomuldsspinderie
Nedre Vøiens Bomuldsspinderie was a textile manufacturing company in Oslo, Norway. It has also been called Vøiens Bomuldsspinderie or variants thereof, as well as Graahs Spinderi and Knud Graah & Co after the owner....
, signalled the beginning of Norway's industrialization.
Hiorth also founded Christiania Mekaniske Væveri in 1847, together with Gulbranson, Roll, Peter J. K. Petersen and Iver Olsen. In 1857 Hiorth was a co-founder of the association Akerselvens Brugseierforening
Akerselvens Brugseierforening
Akerselvens Brugseierforening was an industrial associaton established in 1867 by factories located near Akerselva in Aker and Kristiania, Norway. Its first chairman was Jørgen Meinich, who chaired the association for 25 years. In 1876 the association acquired the rights to exploit all water...
, a coordinading body for factories exploiting the waterfalls of the river Akerselva
Akerselva
Akerselva, or Akerselven, is a river which flows through Oslo. It starts at Maridalsvannet in Oslomarka, and follows the urban areas Nordre Aker, Sagene, Grünerløkka, Oslo centre and Grønland, whereby it finally ends at Paulsenkaien and Oset in Bjørvika. The river is considered to be a part of the...
. Hiorth chose to resign as manager for the spinning mill in 1860, but was still a member of the board of directors. He was also a joint owner of other textile factories and of the match factory Jølsens Tændstikfabrik, and ran a trading company that imported lamp oil and machinery equipment.