Peter Anker

Who was Peter Anker?

Peter Anker was a Norwegian diplomat and colonialist.

He was born in Fredrikshald as a son of Erik Ancher and Anne Cathrine Tank. He was a brother of Carsten Tank Anker, and changed his name from Ancher to Anker in 1778. He did not marry.

He held the military rank of major general, but was best known as a colonial governor for Denmark–Norway. He was the country's consul in Kingston upon Hull from 1773 to 1776, and governor of Tranquebar from 1786 to 1808. In 1814 he participated in the Meeting of Notables which preceded the Norwegian Constituent Assembly. He died in April 1832 in Aker.