Anders Jahre

Who was Anders Jahre?

Anders August Jahre was a Norwegian shipping magnate. Jahre was educated in law, and worked as a lawyer in Sandefjord from 1916 until 1928. Meanwhile he was also involved in the whaling industry, and he founded the whaling company A/S Kosmos in 1928, operating out of Sandefjord. He also established Jahres Kjemiske Fabrikker, a processor of whale blubber, as well as establishing a passenger ferry line between Oslo and Kiel.

He contributed significantly to the development of the city of Sandefjord. Among other things, he financed the building of the new town hall. He was a major philanthropist, and was honoured with The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1950 and 1962, as well as an honorary professorship at the University of Oslo in 1961. 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. A series of legal proceedings in the 2000s succeeded in returning part of the fortune to Norway from accounts on the Cayman Islands.