Christian August Broberg

Christian August Broberg (3 April 1811 – 30 April 1886) was a Danish merchant, ship owner and politician. His company, C. Broberg & Søn, founded by his father in 1805, was the largest importer of coffee to the Nordic countries in the 1860s and early 1870s but collapsed during the coffee crisis of 1874 as a result of high-risk, speculative transactions undertaken by his son.

Early life and education Broberg was born in Copenhagen, the son of merchant and ship-owner Christian Mortensen Broberg (1776–1852) and Anna Cosine Edsleff (1774–1851). He became an apprentice in his father's office from 1828 and then continued his education abroad. He came to Messina in 1832 where he worked for Ferd. Baller & Co. and became a partner. He returned to Copenhagen in 1835.

Chr. Broberg & Søn Broberg's father had established his company in 1805 and it acquired its first ship Aurora in 1814. It was initially involved in the import of exotic fruit and other colonial goods from Asia but would later specialize in the lucrative coffee trade.

On 1 January 1836, Broberg became a partner in the family firm which now changed its name to Chr. Broberg & Søn. He headed the company after his father's death in 1852. Chr. Broberg & Søn was the first trading house in the Nordic countries which established direct trade relations to Brazil (E. Jonston & Co., Rio and Santos) in competition with those in Hamburg. He brought the coffee home in his own fleet of merchant ships and became one of the largest ship-owners in Denmark of his time. In the 1860s, it was by far the largest Nordic importer of coffee.

Broberg & Søn was hit hard by the 1874 international coffee crisis. Christian August Broberg was abroad and had left the company in the hands of his son, Carl August B.s (1846–1917), who had engaged in risky, speculative transactions. Broberg hurried back to Copenhagen but was unable to prevent the loss of almost his entire fortune.

Ships This list is incomplete

Name Image Owned Type Built Comments Reference Frederik 1813 or 1814 - 1817 Ketch 1809/1813 Broken up after wreck on 26 November 1831 Ref Aurora 1814 / 1837 Ref Dan(n)eschold 1814-1820 Schooner Before 1814 Wrecked in 1820 Ref De Jonge Norman 1814-1817 Sloop 1814 Sold to Gregorius Rydahl in 1817 Ref Anna 1818-1831 Schooner 1810 Sank in 1831 Ref Der Anfang 1815-1833 Ketch 1810 Wrecked on 1 February 1833 De fire søskende 1815-1833 Yacht 1803 Wrecked in 1833 Ref De Quelle 1826-1834 Brig/cutlass/ 1777 Wrecked in 1834 Ref Christian August 1831-1839 Brig 1804 Ref Chonqua 1831-1839 Brig 1824 Wrecked off Gotland on 2 November 1839 Ref Ida 1833-1837 Schooner 1833 Wrecked in 1 December 1837 Ref Hercules 1839-1860 Barque 1839 by Hans Peter Carstensen (Danish) at Josefinevarvet Sold in 1860 to England Ref Brazilianeren 1846-1866 Brig 1846 by H.P. Carstensen et al Sold to B.J. Jans (Dragør) in 1869 Ref Alart 1849-1863 1849 in Kerteminde Renamed Dannevirke in 1863. Sold to A.H. Carlsen Marstal in 1874 Ref Foreningen 1854-1875 Barque 1854 Wrecked on 14 December 1875 at Dunkerque on the way from Newcastle to Martinique Ref Gertrude Sarauw 1855-1863 Skonnertbrig 1849 Sold on 1 January 1863 to H. A. Clausen Ref Augusta Aurora 1861-1864 Schooner 1856 by S.P. Bech Ref

Other occupations Painting of C. A. Broberg in the Geering House in Copenhagen Broberg was also involved in the establishment of a number of other ventures. He was elected for the board of representatives of the Bank of Denmark in 1844. He was one of the founders of in 1853. In 1857, he was also a co-founder of and remained a member of the bank council until his death. Broberg was a driving force behind the appointment of Carl Frederik Tietgen to bank manager and later secured him extensive freedom of action. Broberg was a board member of many of the successful companies later founded by Tietgen.

Politics, public office and honors Broberg was a member of Grosserer-Societetet's committee from February 1743 to 1863 and was its vice president from February 1856.

He was a member of the Copenhagen City Council from 1845 to 1851 and was elected to the Folketinget in Copenhagen's 2nd constituency in December 1849. He ran for reelection in the same constituency but lost to Alfred Hage. He was instead reelected in the 3rd constituency in the by-election in July 1854, but left the office in May 1856 after being elected to Rigsrådet (Privy Council) in February that same year. He was a member of until 1863 and was elected to the Landsting in 1864 but left office in 1866. From 1882 to 1886, he was persuaded to return to the Landsting. He was a driving force behind the sale of Børsen to in 1855–1856. As a politician, he was mainly interested in mercantile issues.