- Sam Eyde
Samuel Eyde (
29 October 1866 ,Arendal –21 June 1940 ) was a Norwegian engineer andindustrialist , the founder ofNorsk Hydro andElkem .Sam Eyde was the son of a shipowner, and studied engineering in
Berlin where he graduated in 1891. He started his career inHamburg , 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 fromHamburg . He soon established offices inKristiania (Oslo today) andStockholm , and by the turn of the century his firm was one of the largest inScandinavia , with some 30 engineers.cite book |author=Payton, Gary and Lepperød, Trond |title=Rjukanbanen; på sporet av et industrieventyr |publisher=Mana Forlag |location=Rjukan |year=1995 |language=Norwegian |pages=20–24]Eyde and
Kristian Birkeland met at a dinner party in 1903; Birkeland was working on developing anelectric arc , while Eyde had recently bought the rights to several waterfalls in Telemark. They agreed to cooperate to develop an electric flame. This allowed Eyde to establish Det Norske Aktieselskab for Eletrokemisk Industri (todayElkem ) along with theWallenberg family who he had met in Sweden; the factory atNotodden opening onMay 2 ,1905 . The same year he founded Norsk Hydro-Elektrisk Kvælstofaktieselskab (nowNorsk Hydro ). Eyde remained director of both companies.He was CEO of Norsk Hydro until 1917, when he had to resign after the general meeting had asked him to leave. He was offered a position on the board, where he remained until 1925, and a compensation of NOK 250,000 for ten years, and NOK 100,000 for the rest of his life. [cite web |url=http://www.visitvemork.com/dnn/LinkClick.aspx?link=kunnskapsbase%2fEydes_avgang.pdf&tabid=108&mid=437 |author=
Norsk Industriarbeidermuseum |title=Sam Eyde 1917 |date=2006-04-07 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language=Norwegian] In 1920, Eyde was appointed the Norwegian Minister to theUnited States . [cite news | title = Norway minister arrives | work =The Washington Post | date =1920-12-31 | page = 6 ]External links
* [http://www.hydro.com Norsk Hydro ASA official website]
* [http://www.hydro.com/en/about/history/ Norsk Hydro ASA company history website]References
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