Simon Karenius Høegh
Simon Karenius Høegh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Norway |
| Died | December 28, 1893 (aged 83) |
| Occupation(s) | Merchant, bank treasurer, politician |
| Years active | 1831–1893 |
| Known for | Mayor of Brevig and Porsgrund, treasurer at Porsgrunds Sparebank |
Simon Karenius Høegh (7 September 1810 – 28 December 1893) was a Norwegian merchant, bank treasurer, and political figure.
Personal life
Simon Karenius Høegh was born in 1810 and was originally named Søren due to a baptismal mistake that was subsequently amended. His father, Anders Jensen Høegh, was a resourceful burgher from Brevig who had remarried Cathrine Cudrio, née Zachariassen. In 1843, Simon wed Karen Sophie Wiborg (1815–1905), the daughter of Simon Grotter Wiborg from Tønsberg. Karen Sophie gained recognition as a genealogist. Together, they had six children: three sons—one of whom became a vicar—and three daughters.
Career
After completing his schooling in 1827, Høegh pursued English studies in Truro before returning to Norway to successfully pass a commercial and trade examination in Arendal in 1831. He obtained burghership in Skien in 1837 and initiated a timber trading enterprise with an initial investment of 1000 speciedaler provided by his family. His business ventures expanded to include ship ownership, acquiring a schooner for transport purposes. In 1840, he was appointed mayor of Brevig.
In 1851, Høegh moved to Porsgrund after acquiring the estate of the late businessman Jens Gasmann at auction. There, he founded a beer brewery that was later converted into a bakery and owned a gunpowder manufacturing facility until it suffered an explosion in 1875. From 1868 until his passing in 1893, he held the position of treasurer at Porsgrunds Sparebank.
Although he left Brevig, Høegh remained politically engaged, serving as mayor of Porsgrund municipality in 1855 and acting as vice mayor on several occasions between 1854 and 1866. Additionally, he was involved with the local chapter of the Norwegian Seamen's Mission.