Emil Bernhard Petersen
Emil Bernhard Petersen (1853-1927) of the Great Northern Telegraph Co
1928 Obituary [1]
EMIL BERNHARD PETERSEN, Knight of the Order of "Dannebrog," Lieutenant in the Royal Danish Engineers, who died in Copenhagen on the 16th August, 1927, was born in Copenhagen on the 24th January, 1853.
He entered the service of the Great Northern Telegraph Co., Ltd. (Denmark), as a telegraphist at Copenhagen in 1874, and attended a course for electricians at the company's cable depot. The following year he was transferred to the Far East, and during his stay there he served at the company's Hong-Kong and Shanghai offices and also participated in several cable expeditions.
After three years' service in the Far East he was drafted to Europe and was stationed for eight months at Nystad (Finland). He subsequently took over the post as electrician-in-chief at the company's London station, and was in 1879 transferred to the company's head office. During his period at the head office he participated on many occasions in cable repairs and operations in connection with the laying of cables.
He was promoted to engineer-in-chief of the technical department in 1882, in which capacity he was engaged until he left the company's service in 1890.
From 1890 to 1903 he was managing director of the Copenhagen Telephone Co., on the Board of which he remained from 1903 until his death.
In 1903 he founded the Amager Bank, Ltd., in Kastrup, near Copenhagen, and was a director of it from its beginning.
He joined the Institution as a Foreign Member in 1881, and was elected a Member in 1911.