Ole Paus (shipowner)


Ole Paus was a Norwegian ship's captain, shipowner and land owner, who belonged to the patriciate of the port town of Skien from the late 18th century. He is noted as the stepfather of Knud Ibsen as well as being the uncle of Marichen Altenburg the parents of noted playwright Henrik Ibsen.

Biography

Ole Paus was born at Bjåland in Lårdal, the son of the forest inspector Cornelius Paus and a member of the Paus family. In his youth, he had moved to Skien where he was raised by relatives before went to sea as a 12-year-old and became a skipper. He was married to Johanne Plesner 1770–1847) who had previously been married to ship's captain Henrich Ibsen. Through his marriage, Paus became the brother-in-law of shipowner Nicolay Plesner and of Diderik von Cappelen, one of Norway's wealthiest men. Cappelen was married to his wife's sister Maria Plesner in his first marriage and in his second marriage to Marie Severine Blom, who was Ole Paus' cousin. Ole Paus later ran a shipping business in collaboration with Plesner.
Knud Ibsen had been the only child of Johanne Plesner and Henrich Ibsen.
Ole Paus was best man at the wedding of his step-son Knud Ibsen and his niece Marichen Altenburg, a daughter of Ole's sister Hedevig Christine Paus.
From 1801, he owned the estate Rising Nordre in Gjerpen. After the death of his wife in 1847, he moved back to Skien where he died during 1855.
Influence on Henrik Ibsen
According to family tradition and verified by the British National Archives, the ship Wenskabet bound for Truro in England and captained by Ole Paus was captured by the Royal Navy on 24 August 1807, and Ole Paus was made a prisoner of war. This tale must have been well known to Ibsen, and it no doubt influenced his epic poem "Terje Wigen," which has several similarities in that the main person is captured by the Royal Navy and kept prisoner. In any case, Ole Paus must have been released by the end of 1809 at the latest because his son Christopher was born in October 1810.

Descendants

Ole Paus and Johanne Plesner had 5 sons and 4 daughters:
Ole Paus was the grandfather of factory owner Ole Paus and the great-grandfather of chamberlain, land owner and art collector Christopher Tostrup Paus, who received a comital title from Pope Pius XI. His great-great-grandson Herman Paus married Countess Tatyana Tolstoy, a granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy, and their descendants own Herresta and other Swedish estates. Also among his descendants are General Ole Otto Paus, singer Ole Paus, fashion designer Pontine Paus and businessman Peder Nicolas Paus. Many of his descendants, including singer, songwriter Ole Paus, were named for him.

Modern references

Ole Paus was portrayed by actor Per Theodor Haugen in the 2006 NRK miniseries "An Immortal Man".