A.N. Hansen

Andreas Nicolai Hansen (14 September 1798 – 12 December 1873) was a Danish businessman and landowner. His former town mansion in Copenhagen was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1939. Early life and career Hansen was born on 14 September 1798 in Copenhagen, the son of vintner Gotfred Hansen (1765-1835) and Anna Catharine Weinreich (1770-1856). He attended Efterslægtselskabets Skole. He joined Joseph Hambro's office at an early age and Hambro soon noticed his talent for the business. In 1819, Hambro installed him as agent on Guernsey and Jersey with responsibility for the firm's trade in Brazilian and Danish products on the world market. Hansen and Hambro's partner George Gerson handled the affair when the Danish government in 1821 relied on Hambro's services in connection with obtaining the so-called Haldemann-Goldschmidt 5 % loan of £ 3 million in London. In 1825, Hansen was sent to Kristiania to oversee the firm's Security interests in custom duties in connection with a state loan. Shortly thereafter, he was put in charge of a local branch office which operated under the name Andreas Hansen. When Gerson died later that same year Hambro wanted Hansen to return to the head office in London. This happened in 1826 but not until he had been made an associé on favourable conditions. On 2 May 1829, Hansen was granted citizenship as a merchant in Copenhagen. In 1831, C. J. Hambro & Søn was granted a 10-year monopoly on operating a steam-driven rice huller at Hambros Plads in Christianshavn. Hansen played a leading role in the operations. A pig farm was also established at the site. The chaft from the rice huller was used as feed for the pigs. The complex was later expanded with Denmark's first canned food factory which made it possible to sell the meat to the many ships in the area. The complex was also expanded with a bakery which sold bread to the ships.