San Francisco County
Biographies
KNUD HENRY LUND
KNUD
HENRY LUND was born in 1832 in the small town of Moss, in Norway (one of nine children),
where his father was one of the most prominent business men. After receiving his education it was intended
that young Lund should enter the navy, but his Viking [sic] disposition proved
too great for him to await a long course of study in the naval academy, and
when fifteen years old he was placed in charge of one of his father’s friends
who commanded a large sailing vessel, with which he made two voyages to the
East Indies, when after two years he returned home to study navigation, and
which examination he passed with the best character in the spring of 1850. After that he left for Copenhagen, and from there went to New York, where he caught the California gold fever, and from whence
by sailing vessel rounded Cape Horn, found his way to San Francisco, and landed there in
January, 1851. After three months here
the great May fire came, from which during the night he had to flee with his
baggage from street to street, and daylight next morning found him with
thousands of others on the crest of Telegraph Hill ,
with the whole city beneath them in ashes.
That afternoon he took [sic] steamer for Stockton to try his luck in the
mines; but being unsuccessful there, and also after returning to San Francisco,
where meantime, he had embarked on different pursuits, he took, in 1854, a
position in the old English commercial house of Messrs. Cross & Co., with
whom he remained for twelve years, having finally become their confidential
clerk and the assistant manager of their large business.
In March, 1864, he married, and the next
year (taking his wife with him) he went on a business trip for the house to England, and visited at the same
time most of the continent and also his home in Norway, after sixteen years’
absence. The former proved exceedingly
profitable to his employers, and the later indescribably pleasant to himself
and wife. He returned to San Francisco early in the following
spring. In September, 1866, Mr. Lund
established himself in San Francisco as an importer, shipping
and commission merchant in foreign business, necessitating him again leaving
for Europe to make his connections
there, and from which, after visiting all the commercial centers of Europe, including the Paris
Exposition, he returned from a few months’ hard but very successful work. He had then correspondence established all
over the world. His business proved very
profitable, and in 1872 he again left for Europe, more for pleasure than for
business, and with his wife visited and made short stays in all places of note
in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark,
Sweden, Norway, Italy and Austria, including the Vienna Exposition, returning
to California after about ten months’ absence.
His business continued to prosper, and in 1881, after sending his wife
to Europe, via New York, he five months later left for Japan to join her,
fulfilling the great desire of his life for a journey around the world. After visiting Japan, China, India, Egypt and Italy, he found his wife in Nice,
where she had wintered, and together they then visited all the different
countries of Europe, going north as far as North Cape to see the midnight
sun. Leaving his wife afterward in Paris, where his son was at
school, he went in September, 1882, to Liverpool, and there opened a branch
of his San Francisco house. He had then hoped to be able to
retire from the active part of his business, but in August, 1883, was
unexpectedly compelled to return to California, where he found that he had been
involved in heavy losses through speculations that necessitated his taking
again the entire management of the house there, leaving his trusted book-keeper
in Liverpool to attend to the branch at that place.
In the spring of 1884 he was requested to
act as consul for Sweden and Norway in San Francisco, and on April 24, 1885, it pleased the King of Sweden and Norway to appoint him his consul
for the whole of California, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Up till then there had
been but little trade between the Pacific coast and the countries that Consul
Lund represented, and it was rarely that their ships were seen there; but he at
once resolved to try to increase both, and besides the existing vice consuls in
Portland and Seattle, he had others appointed in San Diego, San Pedro and Port
Townsend, making five vice consulates under him.
Quite
a little business has since been established with pro-ducts of Sweden and Norway, and about fifty Swedish
and Norwegian vessels come now annually to his consular district.
The business of Henry Lund & Co., has, during the past eight
years since his last return, continued to improve, and, after
its[sic]twenty-five years of existence, is now in a very prosperous
condition. At present he is ably
assisted by his son, Henry Lund Jr., aged twenty-two years.
Transcribed by Walt Howe.
Source: "The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 2, pages 30-31, Lewis Publishing Co.,
1892.
© 2005 Walt Howe.
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