Rolf Andvord

Who was Rolf Andvord?

Rolf Thorsteinson Andvord was a Norwegian ship-owner.

He was born in Lyngdal as a son of vicar Thorstein Rolfsen Andvord and his wife Sofie Barbara Margrethe Feyer. He was a nephew of Johan Fredrik Feyer, a brother of physician Kristian Andvord, and uncle of ambassador Rolf Otto Andvord.

He married Antonette Smith-Petersen, a daughter of ship-owner Morten Smith-Petersen. Their daughter Margrethe married physician Edvard Heiberg Hansteen.

He grew up at his uncle's in Egersund, and went to school here. From the age of 14 he worked at sea, advancing to captain. He founded the shipping company Østlandske Lloyd in 1881, and ran the company until early 1906, when it was incorporated into the company Ganger Rolf. He was a driving force in converting to steam ships, bought the vessel SS Memento which became well known along the coast in his day. SS Memento sailed on Antwerp, and Andvord also broke the Wilson Line's monopoly on steamship traffic between Norway and Newcastle.

Andvord was consul for Belgium from 1894, and consul-general from 1905 to his death.