{{Short description|German mathematician (1822–1894)}} '''Wilhelm Ihno Adolf von Freeden''' (12 May 1822 [[Norden, Lower Saxony|Norden]], [[German Confederation]] – 11 January 1894 [[Bonn]]) was a German [[mathematician]] and expert on [[navigation]]. He was the founder of the North German Naval Observatory. [[Freeden Bank]] bears his name.

==Biography== He was educated at the universities of [[University of Bonn|Bonn]] and [[University of Göttingen|Göttingen]]. He was director of the school of navigation at [[Elsfleth]], [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]], and later settled in [[Hamburg]].

===North German Naval Observatory=== In Hamburg, in 1867, he founded the private North German Naval Observatory (''Norddeutsche Seewarte''), which he directed until 1875 when it became the German Naval Observatory (''Deutsche Seewarte''), an agency of the [[German Empire]]. The purpose of the observatory was to promote and to facilitate maritime intercourse. It was composed of a department of maritime [[meteorology]]; a bureau of nautical, meteorological, and magnetic instruments; a department of coast meteorology and signal service; and a bureau for testing chronometers. In 1945, the tasks of the German Naval Observatory were turned over to the German Hydrographic Institute (''Deutsche Hydrographische Institut''), and in 1990 that agency in turn became part of the present day Federal Department of Shipping and Hydrography (''[[Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie]]'').

===Other activities=== Freeden was a member of the [[Reichstag (German Empire)|Reichstag]] from 1871 to 1876. He founded, with H. Tecklenborg-Bremen, a publication entitled ''Hansa, Zeitschrift für Seewesen'', which he edited until 1891.

==Notes== {{no footnotes|date=July 2014 }} {{reflist}}

==References== *{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Freeden, Wilhelm Ihno Adolf von|year=1905}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeden, Wilhelm von}} [[Category:1822 births]] [[Category:1894 deaths]] [[Category:People from Norden, Lower Saxony]] [[Category:People from the Kingdom of Hanover]] [[Category:German Lutherans]] [[Category:National Liberal Party (Germany) politicians]] [[Category:Members of the 1st Reichstag of the German Empire]] [[Category:Members of the 2nd Reichstag of the German Empire]] [[Category:19th-century German mathematicians]] [[Category:University of Bonn alumni]] [[Category:University of Göttingen alumni]] [[Category:19th-century Lutherans]] [[Category:Mathematicians from the German Empire]]

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