Henriette Wegner | |
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Born | Henriette Seyler October 1, 1805 |
Died | November 25, 1875 | (aged 70)
Resting place | Old Aker Cemetery, Oslo |
Citizenship | Hamburg, France, Norway |
Spouse | Benjamin Wegner |
Parent(s) | L.E. Seyler and Anna Henriette Gossler |
Henriette Wegner (born 1 October 1805 in Hamburg, died 25 November 1875 in Christiania), née Henriette Seyler, was a Norwegian businesswoman and philanthropist. She was a member of the Hanseatic Berenberg banking dynasty of Hamburg and moved to Norway in 1824 when she married the mining magnate Benjamin Wegner. She was briefly a co-owner of Berenberg Bank, and became one of the wealthiest women of Norway on her husband's death as the main owner of one of the country's largest forest estates.
She was known for her work for the homeless and for improving the situation of women. With her long-time friend Hedvig Maribo she founded Norway's first women's organization, the Association for the Support of Poor Mothers, and served as one of its directors. She was a long-term board member of the Norwegian Charity for the Homeless. Henriette Wegner Pavilion in Frogner Park and the mine Henriette Grube at Blaafarveværket are named for her.