Johan Martin Schønheyder

Schønheyder was born on 4 February 1752 in Copenhagen, the son of surgeon Johan Francisais Gottlieb Schønheyder (1701–77) and Mette Mossin (1713–66). He was the brother of clergy member Johan Christian Schønheyder^[1] and medical doctor Johan Henrich Schønheyder. He completed his schooling in 1765 and earned his Candidate of Law degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1772.^[2]

Schønheyder became a lawyer (overretsprokurator) in Denmark–Norway in 1772. In 1774, he became licensed as a Supreme Court attorney. In 1785, he was appointed Attorney-General (kammeradvokat). In 1809, he declined an offer to become a Supreme Court justice. In 1828, after he had resigned as attorney-general and closed his private practice, he was appointed as an extraordinary Supreme Court justice.^[2]

Schønheyder was known as an unusually sharp jurist with exceptional rhetorical skills. Many high-profile cases were therefore entrusted to him by the government and private clients. In 1791, he represented Christian Colbiørnsen in his lawsuit against the landowner C. T. F. Lüttichau. In 1813, he was appointed a member of a commission tasked with investigating various financial matters. In 1818, he became a member of the commission that prepared an octroi for the National Bank. He published some Supreme Court proceedings and speeches given at the opening of the Supreme Court.^[2]

Schøneyder married on 8 August 1781 in Kristiansand to Johanne Margrethe Smith (1758–1822), She was a daughter of provost Morten Smith (1722–1800) and Mette Kirstine Petersen (1737–86).^[2] Three sons and two daughters lived to adulthood.