Jonas Lied

Jonas Marius Lied (17 July 1881 in Sølsnes in Veøy Municipality – 25 April 1969 at Sølsnes, Molde Municipality) was a Norwegian entrepreneur, businessman, diplomat, author and art collector. He obtained a short vocational business education and was proficient in English, French, German and Russian. Lied was also a noted athlete, for instance in 1906 together with Erik Ole Bye he won the Lyle Cup for double sculls. He established The Siberian Steamship, Manufacturing & Trading Company (the Siberian Company; Norwegian: Det siberiske kompani) in 1912 with the purpose of importing and exporting goods through a new northern shipping lane and the Ob River and Yenisei River. He obtained Russian citizenship with the help of Grand Duke Alexander, but regained Norwegian citizenship in 1931 when he left the difficult times in the Soviet Union. According to the Russian tradition, he long used the signature "I.G. Lid" (Jonas Hansson Lied) after his father Hans ("Gans" in Russian).

In 1914, Lied photographed British naval vessels in the port of Newcastle and was for this arrested according to the Defence of the Realm Act 1914. According to his autobiography, he wired Secretary of Trade Walter Runciman for help, and the charges were dropped. Lied's diary mentions a meeting with Arthur Balfour on March 5, 1918, and with Robert Cecil on March 6, later also with Reginald Hall (head of MI6) and Michael Romanov (the tsar's cousin exiled in London). It is not clear if Lied initiated the plan himself or if he was merely invited by the British help with logistics. According to Anthony Summers, Lloyd George hesitated because he wanted to improve relations with the new regime in Russia, while king George insisted that his relatives should be rescued. Lied's own account of this bold plan has been confirmed by later research. In an attempt to capture some of the company's assets he travelled via Vladivostok to Omsk in 1919 and had meetings with the leader of the counter-revolution Alexander Kolchak.

Lied donated diaries and records about the Siberian company to the Norwegian Maritime Museum, other archival material is now kept at Romsdal Museum. Lied donated of his wealth to the renovation of Old Veøy Church. He was buried at the old disused Veøy church yard. Parts of his art collection was on display in Pushkin Museum and elsewhere in 2005. Professor Marit Werenskiold in 2008 edited Consul Jonas Lied and Russia. Collector, diplomat, industrial explorer 1910-1931.

Selected publications Sidelights on the Economic Situation in Russia, published in Moscow, 1922. Return to Happiness (autobiography, translated to eight languages). London: Macmillan, 1943. Over de høye fjelle (autobiography). Oslo: Dybwad, 1946. Sibirisk eventyr (originally Prospector in Sibiria, Oxford University Press). Copenhagen: Arnold Busck, 1955. En sjøvei blir til: Det sibiriske kompanis historie. Oslo: Mortensen, 1958.

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