Chapter 2 - Biography

Summary

General Background and Childhood

Torkel Halvorsen Aschehoug was born on 27 June 1822 in Rakkestad in south-east Norway and died on 20 January 1909 in Oslo. His father was Halvor Aschehoug and his mother was Anne Christine Darre. Torkel was the oldest of five children. He had two sisters, Anne Cathrine and Nicoline. Only Anne Cathrine married, while Nicoline remained a spinster and lived with her mother for many years. They died within a year of each other. Torkel also had two brothers, both named Nils Stockfleth Darre. The first died at only one year old, while the youngest became a judge in the small town of Horten and had a close relationship with Torkel throughout his life, Torkel being only six years older than him.

Shortly after Aschehoug's death, Professor Joh. K. Bergwitz made a presentation at the Statsøkonomisk forening on 28 November 1910 entitled ‘A Presentation of Professor Aschehoug, His Family and Ancestry’. Bergwitz points out that ‘the personality of an outstanding man is best understood by looking at the conditions within the society in which he lived. [&] But closer, and first and foremost, the man must be understood from his forefathers, his ancestry and his relatives on all sides.’ In the following, a brief outline of his family background is provided followed by a resume of his professional career, focusing on the elements that can provide a background for his career as an economist.