Anders August Jahre (28 May 1891 – 26 February 1982) was a Norwegian shipping magnate. Jahre was educated in law, and worked as a lawyer in Sandefjord from 1916 until 1928.[1] Meanwhile he was also involved in the whaling industry, and he founded the whaling company A/S Kosmos in 1928, operating out of Sandefjord.[2] He also established Jahres Kjemiske Fabrikker, a processor of whale blubber, as well as establishing a passenger ferry line between Oslo and Kiel.[3]
He contributed significantly to the development of the city of Sandefjord. Among other things, he financed the building of the new town hall.[2] He was a major philanthropist, and was honoured with The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1950 and 1962,[2] as well as an honorary professorship at the University of Oslo in 1961.[1] After his death, however, there was much controversy surrounding alleged tax fraud and hidden funds in overseas accounts. In 1984, the Norwegian government put forward a tax claim against the Jahre estate.[1] A series of legal proceedings in the 2000s succeeded in returning part of the fortune to Norway from accounts on the Cayman Islands.[4][5]