Hans J. C. Aall

Who was Hans J. C. Aall?

Hans Jørgen Christian Aall was a Norwegian politician.

He was born on Næs iron works in Holt as the son of Jacob Aall. Like his father, his uncles Niels and Jacob were involved in politics, whereas his aunt Benedicte Henricka married Ulrich Fredrich von Cappelen, and another sister Inger married Hans Eleonardus Møller, Sr. As such he was a cousin of political figures Hans Eleonardus Møller, Ulrik Frederik Cappelen and Nicolai Benjamin Cappelen and publishing house founder Jørgen Wright Cappelen.

Hans J. C. Aall started his career as a jurist. From 1840 Aall worked as an assessor at the higher dioceseal court of Bergen. He also became involved in politics, having been elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1842 and 1845.

From 1846 to 1877 served as County Governor of Bratsberg. He had married Mariane, née Møller, from Gjerpen and settled there. He was re-elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1851, 1854, 1859–60, 1862–63 and 1868–1869, representing the rural constituency of Bratsberg Amt. While a parliament member he served as President of the Storting several times.

As a politician he was a proponent of development of transport and communications, especially railroad from Drammen to Skien and the sluice canal in the Skien watershed. This canal would become the Telemark Canal.