Benjamin Wegner

Jacob Benjamin Wegner (21 February 1795 – 9 June 1864) was a Norwegian business magnate. He was one of the country's leading mining magnates as the director-general and co-owner of Blaafarveværket, and also had significant interests in other mining and timber companies.

Born in Königsberg, East Prussia, he moved to London in 1819 and to Berlin in 1820, where he established an independent business as an agent in the British timber and grain trade, as a close associate of the London firm Isaac Solly and Sons. Between 1820 and 1821, he also facilitated one of history's largest art sales on behalf of his close associate Edward Solly. In 1822, he settled in Norway, after he had bought Blaafarveværket (The Blue-Colour Works) on behalf of a consortium led by the Berlin banker Wilhelm Christian Benecke. From 1822 to 1849, he was Director General and one of two owners of Blaafarveværket. Under his leadership the company became Norway's largest mining company and largest and most successful industrial enterprise in the first half of the 19th century overall, and by far the world's largest producer of cobalt blue. He was also the owner of Frogner Manor, the largest co-owner of the Hafslund estate, a co-owner of the Hassel Iron Works and a co-owner of the timber firm Juel, Wegner & Co. Most of his business activities, both in the timber, grain and cobalt segments, focused heavily on export to England, where he spent much time throughout his life.

He served as consul general to Norway of the sovereign city-republics of Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen, and as vice consul of the Kingdom of Portugal. He was married to the philanthropist Henriette Seyler (1805–75), a member of the Berenberg banking dynasty of Hamburg and briefly a co-owner of Berenberg Bank; she was the youngest daughter of Berenberg Bank's long-time head and co-owner L.E. Seyler, and a granddaughter of the Swiss-born banker and theatre principal Abel Seyler and of the Hamburg bankers Johann Hinrich Gossler and Elisabeth Berenberg. Provided by Wikipedia