Henrik Thomassen Heftye was a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 businessman.

Personal life

He was born in Christiania

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 as the son of merchant Thomas Johannessen Heftye (1767–1827) and his wife Katharina Tschudi (1773–1807). He did not marry, but through his sister Betha he was a brother-in-law of ship-owner Mogens Thorsen

Mogens Thorsen

Mogens Thorsen was a Norwegian shipowner. He was born in Christiania, and was married to Bertha Heftye. He became the largest shipowner in Christiania, and is known for the endowment Mogens Thorsens og Hustrus Stiftelse, established by Thorsen and his wife Bertha.-References:...

. He was the brother of banker and politician Johannes Thomassen Heftye

Johannes Thomassen Heftye

Johannes Thomassen Heftye was a Norwegian businessperson and politician.He was the son of merchant Thomas Johannessen Heftye , an immigrant from Switzerland who founded the family company Thos. Joh. Heftye & Søn. He was the father of banker Thomas Johannessen Heftye and grandfather of Thomas Heftye...

, and through him an uncle of banker Thomas Johannessen Heftye

Thomas Johannessen Heftye

Thomas Johannessen Heftye, also known as Tho Joh Heftye was a Norwegian businessman, politician and philanthropist.-Personal life:...

, and a granduncle of Thomas Heftye.

Career

His father migrated to Norway from Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 in the late eighteenth century, and founded the family company Thos. Joh. Heftye & Søn

Thos. Joh. Heftye & Søn

Thos. Joh. Heftye & Søn was a Norwegian bank company. It was one of the first commercial banks in Norway. Based in Christiania, it was founded in 1818 by Thomas Johannessen Heftye , an immigrant from Switzerland. The bank remained in the family in the next generations, and both Henrik Heftye and...

. Henrik Heftye took the cand.theol.

Cand.theol.

Candidatus theologiæ , Candidata theologiæ , abbreviated cand. theol. is an academic degree with a long tradition, awarded after a six year higher education in theology in Denmark and Norway. In Norway, the title has remained after the "Quality Reform", though it is equivalent to a Master of...

 degree in 1829, but after this he joined the family company. He was the director of Norges Hypotekbank

Norges Hypotekbank

Norges Hypotekbank is a defunct Norwegian government bank, created by law on September 18, 1851. Its function was to help commerce, and primarily the agricultural sector, through cheap mortgages. The seat of the bank was in Oslo, and was led by a board of three members, two appointed by the...

 from 1852, and a member of the board of Storebrand

Storebrand

Storebrand is a financial services company in Norway. By volume, the company's main activities are related to life insurance and pension savings. However, the company also has major divisions working on investments, banking and, since 2006, P&C insurance products...

 from 1853 to 1858. He was also involved in the art community, being a co-founder and treasurer of Christiania Kunstforening

Oslo Kunstforening

Oslo Kunstforening is an art gallery and art society located in Oslo, Norway.Oslo Kunstforening is located at Rådhusgata 19. The gallery, situated in one of the oldest houses in the Kvadraturen area, is the oldest artist gallery in Oslo. During the year, many varied shows are organized within the...

 in 1836. Other founding members were Johan Sebastian Welhaven

Johan Sebastian Welhaven

Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven was a Norwegian author, poet, critic and art theorist.-Background:...

, Johan Dahl and Frederik Stang

Frederik Stang

Frederik Stang was a Norwegian lawyer, public servant, and politician who served as Norway's first prime minister....

.

In 1862 he wrote his will

Will (law)

A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...

, in which he donated sums to philanthropy

Philanthropy

Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...

. Among others, his donations founded what is today known as Heftye Kindergarten. He died in February 1864 in Aker

Aker, Norway

Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...

.