Background
He was born in Christiania as the son of merchant Thomas Johannessen Heftye (1767–1827) and his wife Katharina Tschudi (1773–1807).
He was born in Christiania as the son of merchant Thomas Johannessen Heftye (1767–1827) and his wife Katharina Tschudi (1773–1807).
His father migrated to Norway from Switzerland in the late eighteenth century, and founded the family company Thos. John Heftye & Søn. Henrik Heftye took the candidate.theol. degree in 1829, but after this he joined the family company. Other founding members were Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Johan Dahl and Frederik Stang.
In 1862 he wrote his will, in which he donated sums to philanthropy.
Among others, his donations founded what is today known as Heftye Kindergarten. He died in February 1864 in Aker.
He was the director of Norges Hypotekbank from 1852, and a member of the board of Storebrand from 1853 to 1858.
