Ole Hannibal Sommerfeldt

Ole Hannibal Sommerfelt (3 March 1753 – 6 April 1821) was a Norwegian jurist, civil servant and topographer. He was active in Denmark-Norway.

Personal life He was born at Sukkestad in Toten (in the present-day Østre Toten Municipality) as a son of district stipendiary magistrate and chancellor councillor David Christian Sommerfelt (1717–1773) and Benedicte "Bente" Christine Hoff. His grandfather Christian Sommerfelt was also district stipendiary magistrate. His great-grandfather and uncle were both named Hans, and became priests. The latter worked in Denmark and became ancestor for a Danish family line. Ole Hannibal Sommerfeldt became ancestor of a Norwegian branch of Sommerfeldts, and so did his brother Christian. Through his sister Maria he was an uncle of Lauritz Weidemann, and through his brother an uncle of Søren Christian Sommerfelt.

Ole Hannibal Sommerfeldt was married twice. First he married merchant's daughter Thrine Karine Bøe (1756–1792) in July 1780 in Gausdal. After her death, in July 1801 in Kvernes he married dean's daughter Anne Catharina Lemvig Aussig (née Bull, 1759–1848). He changed his name from Sommerfeldt to Sommerfelt before 1800.

As an Enlightenment person, Sommerfeldt was interested in practical agriculture, economy and topography. He was the praeses of Det Romsdalske practiske Landhusholdningsselskab in the early 1800s, and while serving in Christians Amt he advocated the city status for Lillehammer, which was granted in 1827. In Finmarkens Amt he planned the city status for Tromsø (granted 1794) and achieved city status for Vardø and Hammerfest in 1789. He followed a free trade principle and also supported Jens Holmboe's settling project in Målselvdalen. Like his brother, he was also a topographical writer. The journal Topographisk Journal for Norge printed his main topographical work, Kort Beskrivelse over Finmarken, in 1799.

Sommerfelt was decorated as a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog (1813), the Order of Vasa (1815) and the Order of the Polar Star (1818). He died in April 1821 in Biri and was buried at Vardal Church.