Jacob Christian Jacobsen

Jacob Christian Jacobsen, mostly known as J. C. Jacobsen, was a Danish industrialist and philanthropist best known for founding the brewery Carlsberg. He had no formal academic or scientific training, but he was inspired by the lectures of Hans Christian Ørsted and the advances in fermentation and microbiology. He established his brewery in 1847 in Valby, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, and named it after his son Carl. He was very passionate about producing high quality beer and he founded the Carlsberg Laboratory in 1875 to conduct scientific research on brewing. He also took interest in public affairs and supported the National Liberal Party. He was a member of the Folketing (the lower house of the Danish parliament) for some periods between 1854 and 1871. He was also a generous patron of the arts and culture. He funded the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Palace after it was destroyed by fire in 1859. He also donated his mansion to the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, which he was a member of. He created the Carlsberg Foundation in 1876 and endowed it with a controlling stake in his brewery. He had a bitter conflict with his son Carl, who founded his own brewery, Ny Carlsberg, in 1882. They reconciled in 1886, shortly before J. C. Jacobsen's death. He died of pneumonia in Rome in 1887 and was buried in the crypt of Jesus Church, which he had built in Valby. His son Carl inherited his art collection and founded the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a museum that houses it. J. C. Jacobsen is widely regarded as one of the most influential and visionary figures in Danish history.