Rudolph Puggaard


Rudolph Puggaard was a Danish merchant.

Early life and education

Puggaard was born into a family of merchants on 7 January 1818 in Copenhagen. His father, Hans Puggaard had founded H. Puggaard & Co. in 1813. His mother, Bolette Puggaard, née Hage, was the daughter of Christopher Friedrich Hage, a wealthy merchant from Stege on Møn. He graduated from Roskilde Cathedral School in 1837 and was then trained as a merchant in Hamburg and London.

Career

H. Puggaard & Co.

Back in Denmark, Puggaard joined the Nakskov office of his father's company. From 1842 he worked at the head office in Copenhagen where he after a while reached a leading position alongside his uncle, Alfred Hage. He later became the sole leader of the company. He was licensed as a merchant " in 1856.

Det kjøbenhavnske Skibsrederi

Puggaard instigated the foundation of Det kjøbenhavnske Skibsrederi in 186. It purchased the Phønix Sugar Refinery at the corner of Slotsholmsgade and Christians Brygge fromBert Wilhelm Westermann. The sugar refinery had been founded by the Danish Africa Company in 1657. In 1869, the company also leased Helsingørsgade Sugar Refinery in the no longer existing street Helsingørsgade from William Axel Tutein. It had been acquired by his Ferdinand Tutein from Ludvig Surleau's estate in 1833 and passed on to him in 1859.
Det kjøbenhavnske Skibsrederi bought Helsingørsgade Sugar Refinery from Tutein in 1862 but that same year sold both their sugar refineries and other land-based activities to the newly established Danish Sugar Factories.
The remaining part of the company ran into difficulties in the 1890s and was liquidated after Puggaard's death.

Other ventures

He was a co-founder of Nye danske Brandforsikring as well as of Kjøbenhavns Private Laanebank, where he was the chairman from its foundation until his death.

Public offices and honours

Puggaard was a member of the Copenhagen City Council in 1862-75. He acted as judge at Sø- og Handelsretten in 1862-67 and was a member of Grosserer-societetet's committee in 1876-85. He was awarded the Order of the Dannebrog in 1869.

Personal life

Puggaard married Casperfine Andresine Andréa Brandt on 19 July 1843 in Stege Church. She was the adopted daughter of skipper Claus Hansen Brandt and Christiane Brandt, née Kisky. Her biological parents were pilot Kaspar Andréa and Anne Danielsdatter. Puggaard was survived by four children: Hans Puggaard, Signe Elisabet Puggaard, Bolette Puggaard and Marie Christine Puggaard. Bolette Puggaard married the composer Emil Hartmann. He composed a cantata for Rudolf and Signe Puggård's Silver Wedding Signe Puggaard was the mother of the sculptor Rudolph Tegner.
The Puggaard family lived on the upper floor of the Schimmelmann Mansion in Bredgade in Copenhagen. In 1851, Puggaard purchased Hjulebjerg Manor in Halland, Sweden. He charged Thorvald Bindesbøll with the design of a new main building which was built in 1882-1885.