Christopher Blom Paus
Christopher Blom Paus | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Gjerpen, Norway |
| Died | October 28, 1898 (aged 88) Oslo, Norway |
| Occupation(s) | Shipowner, merchant, banker |
| Known for | Shipping investments, administrative director of Skiens Sparebank, city council member in Skien |
Christopher Blom Paus (born 8 October 1810 – died 28 October 1898) was a notable Norwegian shipowner, merchant, and banker.
Biography
Born at the Rising Nordre estate in Gjerpen, Norway, Paus was a member of the Skien patriciate. He was the son of shipowner Ole Paus and Johanne Plesner, who had previously been married to Ibsen. Paus was related to playwright Henrik Ibsen as both the half brother of Ibsen's father, Knud Ibsen, and the first cousin of Ibsen's mother, Marichen Altenburg. His siblings included judge and parliamentarian Christian Cornelius Paus and attorney Henrik Johan Paus. Christopher owned the residence at Snipetorp where the Ibsen family lived from Henrik Ibsen's confirmation in 1843 until 1865.
His career started in wholesale trade, initially as a clerk in his brother’s shop and subsequently under merchant Christopher Hansen Blom until 1836. During the 1860s, he made significant investments in shipping, concentrating on emigrant routes linking Trondheim, Québec, and Newcastle. He emerged as one of Skien’s foremost shipowners and influential entrepreneurs. Beyond maritime ventures, he held the position of administrative director at Skiens Sparebank between 1874 and 1887 and served multiple terms as a city council member in Skien, undertaking various municipal responsibilities.
Personal life
In 1845, Paus wed Erasmine Ernst (1817–1914). He fathered factory owner Ole Paus. His grandson Herman Paus married Countess Tatyana Tolstoy, granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy, with their descendants managing estates such as Herresta in Sweden. Christopher Blom Paus was also the great-grandfather of General Ole Paus and the great-great-grandfather of singer Ole Paus. He passed away in Oslo and was interred at Vår Frelsers gravlund.
Other sources
- Arvid Høgvoll; Ruth Bærland (1996) Henrik Ibsen: Herregårder, kammerherrer, godseiere og proprietærer: brokker av en slektshistorie (Nome antikvariat)