Louis De Geer (1587-1652)

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Louis De Geer, born 1587-11-17 in Liège, died 1652-06-19 in Amsterdam, was a merchant and industrialist. He is considered the father of Swedish industry.

De Geer had received a good education with travels. He began his industrial career in Amsterdam around 1615. He came in contact with Sweden and heard of its natural assets. He started doing business with the Swedish Crown, which, impressed by the cunning business man, allowed him to lease estates near Finspång, Östergötland in eastern Sweden proper. Before long, De Geer had established a formidable workshop industry there.

The Swedish Crown continued to support him, and De Geer was a likeable person, who embraced Sweden as his second mother country. At the start of the Hannibal War against Denmark, he singlehandedly equipped an armada of ships to sail towards Denmark.