Charles Ulrick Bay (September 5, 1888 – December 31, 1955) was an American businessman and diplomat. He was the

United States Ambassador to Norway The United States Ambassador to Norway (formally the Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Norway) is the official representative of the President and the Government of the United States of America to the King and Government of Norw ...

from 1946 to 1953.

Biography

Bay operated an oil company and served in the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

. Bay was a politically appointed ambassador and was nominated for the embassy mission by President Harry S. Truman. He presented his credentials as the second U.S. ambassador to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

on July 26, 1946, to

King Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick V ...

and served until July 31, 1953.Charles Ulrick Bay (1888-1955)
–

Office of the Historian The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign po ...

.Charles Ulrich Bay
Archive –

Embassy of the United States, Oslo The Embassy of the United States in Oslo is the diplomatic representation of the federal government of the United States to the Kingdom of Norway. A new embassy was put into service in May 2017. The current Embassy is located in Morgedalsvegen 36, ...

, Norway. Bay provided support for charitable and humanitarian purposes. Through a foundation, he funded the

rescue boat A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crew and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine. Lifeboats may be rigid, inflatable or rigid-inf ...

of the

Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (Redningsselskapet in Norwegian, commonly shortened to RS) is the only organization wholly dedicated to assisting people and vessels at sea along the extensive Norwegian coastline. Overview Norwegian Society f ...

(''Redningsselskapet''), RS 62 Ambassador Bay, launched in 1958. Bay had family ties to Norway and special interest in American - Norwegian relations as an ambassador. He was much in favor of Norwegian membership in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and economic cooperation in many ways between the United States and Norway. His mother came from

Hammerfest Hammerfest (; sme, Hámmerfeasta ) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hammerfe ...

and his father's relatives came from

Drøbak Drøbak is a List of cities in Norway, town and the centre of the municipality of Frogn, in Viken county, Norway. The city is located along the Oslofjord, and has 13,409 inhabitants. History Drøbak and Frogn was established as a parish on its o ...

Haakon Hauan Haakon Hauan (20 June 1871 – 7 October 1961) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He was Minister of Industrial Provisioning 1918–1920. Hauan was an engineer and industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a p ...

was Bay's uncle. Bay donated fountains with sculptures to both Drøbak and Hammerfest. He was married to Josephine Perfect Bay from 1942 until his death.

References

1888 births 1955 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Norway American people of Norwegian descent People of the Office of Strategic Services {{US-diplomat-stub