Jens Friedenreich Hage


Jens Friedenreich Hage was a Danish merchant and landowner.

Early life

Hage was born on 6 October 1752 in Stege on the island of Møn, the eldest child of Johannes Jensen Hage and Bolette Margrethe Friedenreich. The Hage family was of Dutch origins and had counted merchants at least since the 17th century. He was the elder brother of Christopher Friedenreich Hage.

Career

On 11 July 1765, Hage passed his exams as a helmsman. In 1777 he moved to the Danish West Indies where he made a fortune as a merchant and plantation owner. He was the owner of the plantation Frederikshaab on St, Croix. He also purchased the Clairfield estate in Pennsylvania, In 1790, he was back in Stege. In the late 1890s, he settled as a merchant in Copenhagen. He traded under the name J. F. Hage & Co. in spite of the fact that he had no partners.
In 1800, he became chairman of Det Danske Fiskeriselskab. In 1801, he was sent on a confidential mission to the Danish West Indies with as Rotal West Indian Government Commissioner. On 2 May 1801, He was appointed to kommerceintendant with rank of justitsråd. As of 28 July 1815,

Personal life

Hage was married twice, first to Gertrud Heitmann and then to Marie Sophie Ruspini. His first wife bore him 11 children, eight daughters and three sons:
he was also active as a brewer in Copenhagen. He owned a country house at Frederiksdal and Benzonseje at Køge.