Christian Augustus Henry Allhusen (1806–1890) was a Danish-English chemical manufacturer based in the North East of England. Born in Kiel when it was in the Danish Duchy of Holstein, he and his family were displaced when Marshall Davoust, Napoleon's "Iron Marshall," occupied the family home as his headquarters. Allhusen was employed by Koch & Sons, grain merchants of Rostock and then moved to Newcastle, where he was employed by Campbell & Reveley, also grain merchants.[1] Allhusen became a British citizen by a private act of Parliament, the Allhusen's Naturalization Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 30).[2] He later went into partnership with Henry Bolckow and expanded into the ship and insurance brokerage business.[1][3][4]
| Allhusen's Naturalization Act 1835 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for naturalizing Christian Allhusen. |
| Citation | 5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 30 |
In 1840, Allhusen purchased a soap works in Gateshead, and began the manufacture of chemicals, eventually calling the company C. Allhusen & Sons. In 1871, Allhusen converted his enterprise into a joint-stock company, Newcastle Chemical Works, Ltd. He made a large fortune, and was influential in the region as company director and shareholder in such companies as the Northumberland & Durham District Bank, the Newcastle & Gates Water Company and the Consett Iron Works. He was an active member of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce and the Tyne Commission.[1]
In 1854, Allhusen was among local industrialists urging construction of a new quay for Gateshead. When the quay was eventually constructed, the local government failed to include necessary transportation facilities to allow efficient transport to and from the quay facility. As a result, the quay complex required years of subsidies and struggled to avoid failure as Allhusen had predicted.[5]
Allhusen died on 13 January 1890 at Stoke Court, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c John Fenwick Allen (1906). Some Founders of the Chemical Industry: Men to be Remembered. Sherratt & Hughes. pp. 231 - 248. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
Christian Allhusen.
- ^ The Parliamentary Debates (Authorized Edition), Volume 30. Wyman. 1835. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ Joseph ALLEN (of Greenwich Hospital.) (1849). The Navigation Laws of Great Britain, Historically and Practically Considered, with Reference to Commercial and National Defence. Baily Bros. & James Ridgway. pp. 107–112. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ Sir Hugh Gilzean-Reid (1881). Middlesbrough and Its Jubilee: A History of the Iron and Steel Industries, with Biographies of Pioneers. "The Gazette" Printing and Publishing Offices. pp. 113–114. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ Graeme J. Milne (2006). North East England, 1850-1914: The Dynamics of a Maritime-industrial Region. Boydell Press. p. 96. ISBN 9781843832409. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ Chemist and Druggist, Volume 36. Benn Brothers. 1890. p. 61. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
See also
edit- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Allhusen, Christian Augustus Henry (1806–1890), chemical manufacturer by N. G. Coley, rev.