Sam Eyde

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Sam Eyde photographed in 1910. Photo from the historic photo-collection of Norsk Hydro
Sam Eyde photographed in 1910. Photo from the historic photo-collection of Norsk Hydro

Sam Eyde, (29 October 1866 - 21 June 1940) was a Norwegian engineer and industrialist, the founder of Norsk Hydro, born in Arendal.

Sam (Samuel) Eyde was the son of a shipowner, and studied engineering in Berlin where he graduated in 1891. He started his career in Hamburg, working with the railways where he planned new lines, bridges and stations.

In 1897 he started his own business, Gleim & Eyde with his previous boss from Hamburg. He soon established offices in Kristiania (Oslo today) and Stockholm, and by the turn of the century his firm was one of the largest in Scandinavia, with some 30 engineers.

Together with the scientist Kristian Birkeland, Sam Eyde is best known for establishing Norsk Hydro in 1905, to produce fertiliser using abundant Norwegian hydroelectrical power. Crucial to financing the new company was the Swedish Wallenberg family. Eyde had got in contact with them through his work in Sweden.


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