# Grosserer-Societetet

The Grosserer-Societetet ('Wholesalers' Society') was a society for wholesale merchants in Copenhagen founded by law in 1742. After 1714, it was possible to acquire citizenship as a wholesaler in the city. Grosserer-Societetet was reorganized in 1817. In 1987 the association was replaced by the Danish Chamber of Commerce.

## History

Grosserer-Societetet was founded by law in 1742. The inaugural meeting took place on 31 August 1842 in Sø-Assurance-Compagniet's offices. The meeting was attended by Hans Hendrick Beck, Andreas Bjørn, Oluf Blach, P. Bortman, Søren G. Elsegaard, Michael Fabritius & Wever, Carl Hieronimus Gustmeyer, Joost van Hemert, Johan P. Issenberg, Søren Jørgensen, Jens Gregersen Klitgaard, Daniel Lindeman and Rasmus Sternberg.
The society was initially headed by a chairman and two elders. Membership in Grosserer-Societetet required proof of maintaining an office, being trained as merchant, owning stakes in one or more ships, as well as keeping international correspondence.
In 1797, 48 of Copenhagen's 70–80 wholesale merchants with citizenship as grosserer were members of Grosserer-Societetet. As of 16 June 1809, the number of wholesale merchants in Copenhagen had increased to 173 (cf. list below).
Grosserer-Societetet was reorganized in 1817. Its affairs were from then on managed by a committee whose 13 members were elected at the Grosserer-Societetet's annual general meetings.
In 1886, Wilhelmine Rerup became the first female member. Caroline Herding became the second female member of the organisation.
As of 1969, it was no longer mandatory for businesspeople with the title of grosserer (wholesaler) to be members of Grosserer-Societetet. In 1987, it merged with Provinshandelskammeret (founded in 1901) as Det Danske Handelkammer (from 2000 Handelskammeret and from 2007 part of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Dansk Erhverv).

## Location

Grosserer-Societetet was initially based in bank cashier Lacoppidan's building at Købmagergade 35. As of 1804, its meetings were held in a room in the Sundorph House at Ved Stranden 10. In 1857, Frederick VII sold the building to Grosserer-Societetet for 70,000 rigsdaler.

## Activities

Grosserer-Societet's committee represented the merchant class equally before the government and the Rigsdag (Parliament) and acted as its external representative wherever it was necessary to safeguard its special interests. Grosserer-Societetet was from its 1817 reorganisation based in the Sundorph House prior to purchasing the Stock Exchange building, which it purchased in 1857 and supervised, managed daily stock exchange meetings, issued responses to questions whose answers required special commercial expertise, participated in the election of the members of the Maritime and Commercial Court, held brokerage examinations, participated in the official fixing of the exchange rate and supervised the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Attached to the committee were assessment and arbitration committees for the grain trade, the feed trade, the seed trade and the butter trade, as well as a committee for setting the price quotes for Danish butter. Since 1888, the committee published a detailed annual trade report. Finally, the committee managed the Brockian Business Schools (today Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College; see Niels Brock), a benefit fund, to which fines assessed for not attending the stock exchange on time (spærrepenge) are donated; as well as a large number of grants.

## Commemoration

Peder Severin Krøyer depicted some of the society's members in his monumental group portrait painting From Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Carl Nielsen wrote a cantata, Kantate ved Grosserer-Societetets Hundredsaarsfest, to commemorate its 100th anniversary.

## Chairmen

This list is incomplete.

### 1742–1817

| | Chairman | Term |
| 1 | Nicolai Burmester | 1642 |
| 2 | Gregorius Klauman | 1746–1752 |
| | Peter Borre | 1762–1789 |
| | Christian Hansen | 1776–1775 |
| | Johann Ludvig Zinn | 1790–1802 |
| | Hans Rudolph Saabye | 1802– |

### 1817–1987

| | Chairman | Term |
| | Erich Erichsen | 1817–? |
| | Friederich Tutein | 1832–1842 |
| | Lauritz Nicolai Hvidt | 1842–1850 |
| | Andreas Nicolai Hansen | 1850–? |
| | Moritz G. Melchior | 1873–1884 |
| 1 | Carl Frederik Tietgen | 1885– |
| | Harald Klitgaard | 1912–1915 |
| | C. C. Claussen | 1915–1920 |
| 1 | Ernst Meyer | 1922–1933 |
| | Rudolph Schmidt | 1941–1948 |
| | Victor B. Strand [da; sv] | 1966–1969 |

## Citizenship as a wholesaler
### Died before 1809

| Name | Citizenship | Location |
| Joost van Hemert | 1727 | |
| Michael Fabritius | 1732 | |
| Andreas Bodenhoff | 1749 | |
| Peter Borre | 1750 | Strandgade 44 |
| Peter Fenger | 1752 | Strandgade 8 |
| John Brown | 1755 | |
| Peter van Hemert | 1765 | |
| Johan Jacob Frolich | | Lille Strandstræde 20 (1787) |
| Knud Christensen | | Langebrogade 15 |

### Members in 1809

People with citizenship as wholesalers in Copenhagen as of 16 June 1809, arranged chronologically by year that citizenship was acquired:
| | Name | Citizenship | Location |
| 1. | Christian Hansen | 1764 | Amagertorv 6 |
| 2. | Jørgen Bech | 1764 | Toldbodgade 15 |
| 3. | Frédéric de Coninck | 1765 | Dronningens Tværgade 2 |
| 4. | Lars Larsen | | Nyhavn 63 |
| 5. | Andreas Buntzen | 1772 | Overgaden oven Vandet 54 |
| 6. | Pierre Peschier | | Holmens Kanal 12 |
| 7. | Peter Rabe Holm | | Strandgade 22 |
| 8. | Charles August Selby | 1777 | Strandgade 24 |
| 9. | Rasmus Kirketerp | 1777 | Toldbodgade 2 / Nyhavn 49 |
| 10. | Christian Ludvig Lütken | | Lille Strandstræde 20 (1801), Amaliegade 13 |
| 11. | Thomas Potter | | Overgaden Oven Vandet 10 |
| 12. | Andreas Collstrop | | Holmens Kanal 10 |
| 13. | David Amsel Meyer | 1780 | Frederiksholms Kanal 6 |
| 14. | Rasmus Selmer | | Nyhavn 57 (1787), Nybrogade 12 (1801) | |
| 15. | Bernhard Henrich Hilker | | Sankt Annæ Plads 10 (part of, 1787) |
| 16. | Friderich Wewer | | |
| 17. | Ole Berendt Suhr | | Gammeltorv 22 |
| 18. | Jens Jyde | | Mutorv 11 (1787) |
| 19. | Hans Friis | | Kvæsthusgade 5 |
| 20. | Caspar Peter Bügel | 1783 | Frederiksholms Kanal 16–18 |
| 21. | H. J. Cantor | | |
| 22. | G. L. Becker | | Gammeltorv 18 |
| 23. | J. L. Junghans | | |
| 24. | Gotfried Halkier | | Overgaden Neden Vandet 39 (1787) |
| 25. | Thomas Ter-Borch | | Dronningens Tværgade 7 |
| 26. | A. L. Warberg | | Store Kirkestræde 3 |
| 27. | Erich Erichsen | | Holmens Kanal 18 |
| 28. | Emanuel Falckner | | Lille Strandstræde 20 (1787) |
| 29. | Johannes Schartau | | Brogade 1 (1801) |
| 30. | Knud Tang | | Gothersgade 12 (1787) |
| 31. | Johann Ludvig Zinn | 1767 | Kvæsthusgade 3 |
| 32. | Johann Christoph August Bindseil | | Fortunstræde, Nyhavn 17, Vildmanden |
| 33. | Hans Rudolph Saabye | | Amaliegade 10 |
| 34 | Hans Wassard | | Vimmelskaftet 30 |
| 35. | John Christmas | | Overgaden Oven vandet 6 (1793–), Ny Kongensgade 1 (1800–) |
| 36. | Hans Staal Hagen | | Amaliegade 14 |
| 37. | Jeppe Prætorius | | Overgaden Neden Vandet 39 (1792–1823) |
| 38. | Casper Fried. Fiedler | | Vimmelskaftet 49 |
| 39. | Albrecht Ludvig Schmidt | | Ved Stranden 2 |
| 40. | S. C. Wedege | | |
| 41. | Christian Faber Birch | | Kvæsthusgade 5 |
| 42 | Jacob Agier | | |
| 43. | Niels Brock Hansen | | Strandgade 36 |
| 44 | Georg Daniel von der Pahlen | | Laksegade 4, Vingårdstræde 1–3 |
| 45. | Carl Ludvig Drewsen | | Amaliegade 16 |
| 46. | Christian Thomsen | | Amaliegade 7 |
| 47. | William Duntzfelt | 1795 | Amaliegade 24 |
| 48. | Joseph Nath. David | | Badstuestræde 11 (1801) |
| 49. | Johannes Søbøtker | | |
| 50. | Jens Harboe | | |
| 51. | Frid. Ch. Friderici | | Ved Stranden 20 |
| 52. | Peder Fridr. Becker | | |
| 53. | J. P. Hjorthøy | | |
| 54. | Morten Cortsen | | Kvæsthusgade 1 (1801) |
| 55. | Andreas Petersen | | |
| 56. | Peter Møller | | |
| 57. | Schambach Selboe | | Børsgade 50, Slotsholmsgade 49 |
| 58. | Jacob Thostrup | | |
| 59. | Johan David Vogel | | Strandgade 30 |
| 60. | Daniel Walker | | |
| 61. | Moses Levin Mariboe | | Østergade 13 |
| 62. | Hans Kye | | Store Strandstræde 20 |
| 63. | Peter Tutein | | Købmagergade 42 (1801) |
| 64. | Friederich Tutein | | Vimmelskaftet 47 |
| 65. | Diederich Tutein | | Vimmelskaftet 39 |
| 66. | L. N. Cramer | | |
| 67. | Isac Larpent | | Købmagergade 5 |
| 68. | Christ. Daniel Otte | | Amaliegade 12 |
| 69. | Rasmus Schifter | | Overgaden Oven Vandet 28 |
| 70. | Joh. Rud. Meyer | | |
| 71. | Johan Jacob Leiner | | |
| 72. | Francois le Chevalier | | |
| 73. | Niels Frederik Læssøe | | Nørre Kvarter No. 116 (1801) |
| 74. | Joh. Gerhard Møller | | |
| 75. | H. G. Christensen | | |
| 76. | Gottlieb Eichel | | Pilestræde 115 (1845) |
| 77. | Ferdinand Gotthilf Kellermann | | Kvæsthusgade 1 (1801) |
| 78. | Jørgen Christian Krossing | | Rorvegade 29 |
| 79. | Jens Johansen | | |
| 80. | Hans Peder Kofoed | | Overgaden Neden Vandet 11 |
| 81. | Oluf Løvgreen | | |
| 82. | Johannes Gregorius Veith | | Gammel Strand 42 |
| 83. | Moses Bendix | | |
| 84. | Nicolai C. Reimer | | |
| 85. | C. S. Mangor | | Bredgade 60 |
| 86. | Wilh. Aug. Raasch | | |
| 87. | Anders Nielsen | | |
| 88. | Johan Frid. Zinn | | Store Kongensgade 68 |
| 89. | J. M. Damkiær | | |
| 90 | C. F. G. Herre | | |
| 91. | O. J. Arnemann | | |
| 92. | C. Fantauzzi d'Orfee | | |
| 93. | Georg Fridrich Wilhelm Scheuermann | | Kvæsthusgade 3 |
| 94. | Johannes Hammerich | | Nybrogade 10 |
| 95. | Mads Fonnesbech | | Østergade 61 |
| 96. | Marcus Stampe | | |
| 97. | Jacob Seeler | | |
| 98. | Alexander Watt | | |
| 99. | Lauritz Lauritzen | | Nytorv 7 |
| 100. | Gotthilf Ludwig Køppen | 1804 | |
| 101. | Peder Wedersøe | | Nyhavn 17 |
| 102. | Peder Cøster | | |
| 133. | J. W. v. Halle | | |
| 104. | C. F. A Wulff | | |
| 105. | James Gordon | | |
| 106. | J. S. Meyer | | |
| 107. | Meyer Seligman Trier | | Møntergade 20 (1801) |
| 108. | Andreas Frederik Beyer | | |
| 109. | Nathaniel Cox | | |
| 111. | Alexius Hoffmann | | |
| 112. | Peter Friderich Lowe | | Admiralgade 25 (18101713) |
| 113. | Jens Peter Jensen | | |
| 114. | W. C. Good | | |
| 115. | Jens Holbech | | Nyhavn 35, Amaliegade 5 |
| 116. | J. H. Malling | | |
| 117. | B. Wichmann | | |
| 118. | D. C. Welling | | |
| 119. | Jørgen Peter Bech | | Nybrogade 24 |
| 120. | Hermann Christian Müffelmann | | Bredgade 38 |
| 121. | Mathias Sartz | | |
| 122. | F. B. Branner | | |
| 123. | Peter Kofoed | | |
| 124. | Isac Benners | | |
| 125. | Laurentius Collstrup | | |
| 127. | Carl Ferrall | | |
| 128. | H. C. Müffelmann | | |
| 129. | V. N. Mangor | | |
| 130. | C. J. Hasfeldt | | |
| 131. | A. L. Schmidt | | |
| 131. | J. J. v. Hemert | | |
| 132. | J. F. Hoch | | |
| 133. | P. R. W. Mariboe | | |
| 134. | R. J. Schmidt | | |
| 135. | F. A. Eschee | | |
| 136. | S. C. Gustmeyer | | |
| 137. | Christ. Broberg | | |
| 138. | N. C. Wedersoe | | |
| 139. | J. L. Nathanson | | |
| 140. | G. F. Holm | | |
| 141. | Jens Jensen Berg | | Dronningens Tværgade 3 |
| 142. | E. C. Busch | | |
| 143. | Erich Nissen | | Nyhavn 53 |
| 144. | Gerson Moses Melchior | | Amagertorv 11 (1810–) |
| 145. | Falch Aron | | |
| 146. | Hans Lausen | | |
| 147. | C. F. Wohlermann | | |
| 148. | J. J. Holbech | | |
| 149. | N. O. Botch | | |
| 150. | H. P. Duus | | |
| 151. | K. A. Christiani. | |
| 152. | Iver Wibroe | | |
| 153. | Georg Jørgefisen | | |
| 154. | C. H. Bentzen | | |
| 155. | Niels Christian Rudolph Saabye | | |
| 156. | P. F. van Wyllich | | |
| 157. | Christen Fogh | | |
| 158. | L. B. Hollænder | | |
| 159. | August Gøtæe | | |
| 160. | P. P. Kofoed | | |
| 161. | Poul Andreas Collstrop | | Ny Kongensgade 7 |
| 162. | Laue Jessen Maag | | Ny Vestergade 13 (1811–) |
| 163. | J. D. Meyer | | |
| 164. | J. J. Petzholdt | | |
| 165. | Niels Møller | | |
| 166. | Claus Carstens | | |
| 167. | Peter Jacob Topp | | Nørre Voldgade 62/Nørregade 42 |
| 168. | Peter Mosbøll | | |
| 169. | Magnus Ipsen | | |
| 170. | Christian Rønnenkamp | | Amaliegade 4 |
| 171. | Andreas Leisner | | Bredgade 39 |
| 172. | Ole Christian Gammeltoft | | Kompagnistræde 2, Lille Strandstræde 6 |
| 173. | A. C. F. Schrøder | | |

### Citizenship as a wholesaler after 1809

| Name | Citizenship | Location | Notes |
| Georg Petersen | ? | | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1863–1881 |
| Harald Fritsche | ? | | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1874–1893 |
| Harald Hansen | ? | | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1893–1902 |
| Andreas Buntzen | 1812 | Overgaden oven Vandet 54 | |
| Joseph Hambro | 1812 | Kongens Nytorv | |
| Hans Puggaard | 1813 | Store Kongensgade 62 | |
| Nicolai Jonathan Meinert | ? | Store Kongensgade 62 | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1834–1756 |
| Emil Zeuthen Svitzer | 1820 | | |
| Henrik Danchell | 1928 | | Store Kongensgade 62 |
| David Halberstadt | 1834 | | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee from 1857 |
| Arnold Eugen Reimann | 1854 | | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1914–1919 |
| Christian August Broberg | 1835 | | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1842–1863 |
| Jacob Herman Mannheimer | 1857 | | |
| Hans Peter Johan Lyngbye | 1863 | | |
| Julius Bernburg | 1864 | | |
| Holger Petersen | 1868 | | |
| Frantz Thestrup Adolph | 1869 | | |
| David Baruch Adler | 1850 | Ved Stranden 14 | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1775–1878 |
| Christian Kjellerup Hansen | 1856 | | |
| Augustin Gamél | 1866 | | |
| Frederik Carl Christian Johansen Baune | 1871 | | |
| Julius Kopp | 1872 | | |
| Sophus Munk Plum | 1873 | | |
| Jacob Herman Mannheimer | 1876 | | |
| Carl Holten | 1766 | | |
| Harald Klitgaard | ? | | Member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee 1894–1820 |
| Carl G. Melchior | 1882 | | |
| Christian Johannes Kampmann | 1886 | | |
| Carl G. Melchior | 1892 | | |
| Christen Daell | 1892 | | |
| Hans Hald Sthyr | 1893 | | |
| Christian Saugman | 1930 | | |
| Westy Stephensen | | | Committee member from 1908 |