George Ryan (Irish-Danish businessman) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacob Holm
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| Born | 1783 or 1785 Saint Croix, Danish West Indies
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| Died | 6 December 1861 Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Nationality | Danish |
| Occupation | Merchant and ship-owner |
George Ryan (born around 1783–1785, died December 6, 1861) was an important Danish businessman. He was born in Ireland but moved to Denmark. He became a successful merchant, ship owner, and banker. He also owned a sugar plantation called Mary's Fancy in the Danish West Indies, which are now the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Contents
Early Life and Family Business
George Ryan was born in Ireland, in a place called Ballinakill. His family was quite large, with ten brothers and two sisters.
Philip Ryan's Trading Company
One of George's older brothers, Philip Ryan (1766–1809), moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1680. He started working for a big trading company. Philip was very good at his job. He even became a ship captain and sailed to the Danish West Indies many times.
Later, Philip started his own trading company. He also owned his own ships. This company became very successful.
George Ryan's Business Career
When George Ryan was about 14 or 15 years old, he moved to Copenhagen. He started working for his brother Philip's company. After Philip passed away, George took over the family business.
After the big wars called the Napoleonic Wars ended around 1814–1815, George Ryan was one of the first to restart trade. He focused on bringing sugar from the Danish West Indies to Copenhagen. He owned a fleet of four merchant ships to do this.
George Ryan was also involved in banking. He was chosen to be on the board of the Danmarks Nationalbank, which is Denmark's national bank. He served two four-year terms there. Later, in 1857, he helped start a new bank called Privatbanken and was also on its board.
Properties and Plantations
George Ryan owned several important properties. In Copenhagen, he owned a building at Sankt Annæ Plads 7.
He also owned a large sugar plantation called Mary's Fancy on the island of Saint Croix. He became the owner of this plantation in 1838. Sugar plantations were very important for trade at that time. George Ryan later sold Mary's Fancy in 1859.
Personal Life and Family
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George Ryan never married. However, he had a son named Carl Frederik in 1815. George showed a lot of care for his son's upbringing and education. In 1832, George was given special permission to officially adopt Carl Frederik. After the adoption, his son's name was changed to Charles Frederik Ryan. Many people at the time knew that George was Charles Frederik's father.
Charles Frederik Ryan also had a son named Eduoard Charles. Charles Frederik later married Johanna Henrika Witthusen. They had two daughters, Catharina (Kate) Ryan and Georgina Ryan. Sadly, Charles Frederik Ryan passed away when he was only 44 years old in 1859.
George Ryan passed away on December 6, 1861. In his will, he left a large amount of money to his grandson, Edward Charles Rønnov. His granddaughter, Catharina Ryan, later married Christian Rosenkilde Treschow, who owned a large estate.
See also
- Ryan, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Thomas Ryan (Quebec politician)
