Frédéric de Coninck was born at The Hague in the Netherlands. In 1763, he moved to Copenhagen to set up a foreign trade and shipping company. He became one of Denmark's largest shipping owners, with a fleet of 64 vessels at the company's height. He took advantage of Denmark's neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars to boost his and its trade, but his company got into difficulties during and after the English Wars, having to shut down in 1822.