Hilmar Reksten
| Hilmar Reksten | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
29 October 1897 Bergen, Norway |
| Died | 1 July 1980 (aged 82) Bergen, Norway |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Occupation | Shipping magnate, Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Bjørg Elisabeth Reksten (1925-1939) Carol Montgomery Reksten (1952-1980) |
Hilmar August Reksten (29 October 1897 – 1 July 1980) was a Norwegian shipping magnate. In the autumn of 1973 he was counted among the world's richest men, possessing a fleet worth about £300,000,000. At his death in 1980, all was lost; he left behind a debt of about £100,000,000.
Hilmar Reksten grew up in a small flat at Nordnes, a central quarter of Bergen. He was the eldest of three siblings; there was a younger brother called Hjalmar (1900–1961), and a sister, Sofie. Their mother, Helene Monsen Søndervåg (1869–1902), died when Reksten was only four years old. His father, Erik Reksten (1873–1963), was a stoker and later engineer, spending most of his time out to sea. He sent home money for the children's support. It was not until 1907 that Reksten senior had saved up enough money to stay more at home with his motherless children. The same year he married Hanna Gregoriussen, whom Reksten later began calling "mother", and who created a good home for her stepchildren. She gave birth to a son, Karl (1909–1999).
Reksten did well at school, and in his free time joined the local buekorps, Nordnæs Bataillon. He had his heart set on a career in shipping, but World War I caused difficult times in that field. In 1917 he started doing unpaid volunteer work for a new shipping firm. Reksten's talent was soon recognized, and he was given a paid job; but his employer went bankrupt in 1919, caused by the recession in shipping following World War I.
Reksten studied economy in Cologne helped by 5.000 NOK granted as a scholarship from Hans Westfal-Larsen's shipping company. At the end of 1921, however, the remaining sum was practically worthless, due to the hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic. Still, Reksten eked out an existence during the following three years, writing paid letters from Germany that were published in Bergens Tidende, and thus finishing his studies, returning to Norway in 1924. He had lived in Trajanstrasse in Cologne's old quarter, which roused his lifelong interest in Ancient Rome. When he started his own company in 1929, he named it Trajan after the Roman emperor. His first ship, Doris, was also renamed Trajan. His father, who had been unemployed for over a year, became the ship's first engineer. Reksten ran his firm from Minde, a residential part of Bergen, residing there until 1932. In August 1939 his wife Bjørg Elisabeth Johannessen died, only 36 years old, and after only 14 years of marriage. At that time the family resided in a villa outside of Bergen, with space also for Bjørg Elisabeth's father, while a separate building housed the shipping firm. She left Reksten with five children one of whom: Astrid Johannessen Reksten moved to the United States after marrying another Norwegian man Sigurd Hoyer-Ellefsen. The couple also had five children and moved them all over the United States until they finally divorced in 1987. Astrid now lives in Florida with her eldest son Tommy. She is now the only living child of Hilmar's. Sadly two of her own sons also died, both at very young ages. The remaining two children of Astrid's and Sigurd's, live in Maryland and Georgia besides Tommy.
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