Peter von Scholten
Peter von Scholten | |
|---|---|
Governor-General of the Danish West Indies | |
| In office 1827–1848 | |
| Monarchs | Frederick VI (until December 1839), Christian VIII |
| Preceded by | Christian Ludvig von Holten |
| Succeeded by | Frederik von Oxholm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten 17 May 1784 Vestervig, Denmark |
| Died | 26 January 1854 (aged 69) Altona, Holstein, (present day Germany) |
| Spouse |
Anne Elisabeth Thortsen
(m. 1810) |
| Parent(s) | Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten Catharina Elisabeth de Moldrup |
Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten (17 May 1784 – 26 January 1854) was
Early life and education
He was born in Vestervig, Thy, Denmark as the son of captain Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten[1] and Catharina Elisabeth de Moldrup.[2]
Career
As a young man, von Scholten joined the Danish army and in 1803 he was appointed
Later, he had a career as an officer in
Peter von Scholten continued to advance in the Danish military, becoming major in 1816, lieutenant colonel in 1820, commander of Dannebrog in 1828, and major general in 1829.
In 1827, he became acting governor general of St. Thomas. From 1835 to 1848, he served as governor general for all three islands,
In spite of his relatively liberal attitudes, von Scholten was opposed to
Late years in Denmark and Altona
Shortly thereafter, von Scholten was called back to Denmark.
Peter von Scholten died on 26 January 1854 in Altona, Holstein (present day Germany), leaving little to his heirs.[3] He is buried in Assistens Cemetery, Copenhagen.
Personal life
During his early years on St. Thomas, Peter von Scholten enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle due to his position as customs officer during the surge in trade under the state of war between the nearby Spanish islands and the South American colonial insurgents. He later gained promotion to the position of Governor based on St. Croix.[3] At this time, Peter von Scholten lived with Anna Heegaard (1790–1859), a woman of color.[4] The consensus amongst modern scholars is that Anna Heegaard influenced von Scholten into a policy of more humane treatment of the black population.[5][6][7][need quotation to verify][8][need quotation to verify] They bought the country house Bülowsminde. Peter Von Scholten's brother Frederik also served on the West Indian Islands.
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Peter von Scholten married Anna Elizabeth (Lise) Thortsen in Copenhagen in 1810. The couple had three daughters.
He owned a property at Bredgade 45 in Copenhagen from 1831 to 1849.[9] After his return to Denmark he acquired the country house Belvedere in Klampenborg on the coast north of Copenhagen.
Peter von Scholten is buried in Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen.
Cultural references
His fate has inspired several authors.
Peter von Scholten is portrayed in the Danish 1987 drama film Peter von Scholten. Peter von Scholten is played by Ole Ernst.
Bibliography
- C. F. Bricka (editor), Dansk biografisk Lexikon, first edition, 19 volumes, 1887–1905, Vol. XV. Online edition available: https://runeberg.org/dbl/15/(pages 255 and 256. Numbered as 257 and 258 in the online edition).
References
- ^ "Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten" (1752–1810)[usurped] Personal Information at skeel.info
- ^ a b c Bricka, Biografisk, 257
- ^ a b c d e Bricka, Biografisk, 258
- ^ "GORP – Christiansted National Historic Site in the U.S. Virgin Islands". Archived from the original on 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ^ Anita Davis ::: Published Articles
- ^ Caribbean Writer On Line Book Review – The Governor-General's Lady
- ISBN 978-976-8125-05-7
- ^
Hall, Neville A. T. (1992). Higman, Barry. W. (ed.). Slave Society in the Danish West Indies: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Mona, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press (published 1994). p. 175. ISBN 978-9764100294. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- ^ "Bredgade 45a–c". indenforvoldene.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
- Slavernes Öer, by Thorkild Hansen
External links
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| National | |
| Other | |
