Peter von Scholten

Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten (17 May 1784 – 26 January 1854) was a Danish army officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor-General of the Danish West Indies from 1827 to 1848.

Early life and education

He was born in Vestervig, Thy, Denmark as the son of captain Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten and Catharina Elisabeth de Moldrup.

Career As a young man, von Scholten joined the Danish army and in 1803 he was appointed ensign in a unit stationed in the West Indies. He was transported to Great Britain when the British occupied the Danish West Indies in 1807. Von Scholten married Anne Elisabeth Thortsen, daughter of Danish army captain Johan Thortsen, on October 31, 1810. (Picture of ruins of Von Scholten school, St. Croix.)

In spite of his relatively liberal attitudes, von Scholten was opposed to Christian VIII of Denmark's ruling that every child born of an unfree woman should be free from birth, as he felt that such an arrangement would cause discontent with serious consequences. When the new policy was brought into effect, he felt himself proven right as a slave rebellion broke out on St. Croix in 1848. The consensus amongst modern scholars is that Anna Heegaard influenced von Scholten into a policy of more humane treatment of the black population. They bought the country house Bülowsminde. Von Scholten's brother Frederik also served on the West Indian Islands. Von Scholten married Anna Elizabeth (Lise) Thortsen in Copenhagen in 1810. The couple had three daughters.

He owned a property at Bredgade 45 in Copenhagen from 1831 to 1849. After his return to Denmark he acquired the country house Belvedere in Klampenborg on the coast north of Copenhagen. Von Scholten was buried in Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen.

Cultural references

His fate has inspired several authors. Von Scholten is portrayed in the Danish 1987 drama film Peter von Scholten, where he was played by Ole Ernst.