Ludvig Kristensen Daa

Ludvig Kristensen Daa (19 August 1809 – 12 June 1877) was a Norwegian historian, ethnologist, auditor, editor of magazines and newspapers, educator and politician.

He was born as Ludvig Christensen Daae in Saltdal to vicar Christen Daae (1776–1854) and Elisabeth Marie Friis (1785–1865). The family moved to Jølster in 1817. At the age of thirteen, Daa started at the Bergen Cathedral School and took the examen artium later as a private candidate. After a period as a private teacher in Christian Krohg's family in 1828 he enrolled at the Royal Frederick University. Here he was a leader in the Norwegian Students' Society, and sided with Henrik Wergeland in the dispute with Johan Sebastian Welhaven. The group of which Daae was a part celebrated the Norwegian Constitution Day in 1829, a notable event. In 1830 he Norwegianized his name from Daae to Daa. He graduated with the cand.philol. degree in 1834, was hired as a substitute docent for Steenbloch in 1836 and 1837, due to Steenbloch's illness and subsequent death. In 1837 Daa could have been appointed as the new professor, but Welhaven associate Peter Andreas Munch was chosen. In 1840 Anton Martin Schweigaard got another post that Daa wanted, as professor of economics and statistics.

Daa held multiple jobs; he worked as a state auditor from 1839 to 1851, parliamentary archivist from 1841, columnist in Morgenbladet from 1839 to 1847 and Christiania-Posten from 1848 to 1851, and publisher of the magazine Granskeren from 1840 to 1843. In 1840–1841 he ran afoul with Henrik Wergeland, who wrote the farces Engelsk Salt and Vinægers Fjeldeventyr (both 1841) about Daa. Daa replied with anonymous attacks in Granskeren, whereas Wergeland was convicted of libel. In 1842 Wergeland released the poem Fordums-Venner about Daa. Also, Daa lost his wife Julie C. A. Henriksen in August 1842; they had only been married since November 1840. Daa and Wergeland later reconciled.

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