Edmund Theobald Harbitz (2 October 1861 – 7 May 1916) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

lawyer and politician for the

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. He chaired the party from 1905 to 1908, and served as

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from 1899 to 1901.

Early life and career

He was a son of office manager Christian Fredrik Gottfred Bohr Harbitz (1833–1916) and his wife Fanny Theobald (1839–1872). He was the older brother of pathologist Francis Harbitz, and a paternal grandson of Georg Prahl Harbitz. He enrolled as a law student in 1880, and graduated with the

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degree in 1884. He worked as a law clerk from 1884 to 1890, and in 1890 he opened a lawyer's office together with the later

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

, Christian Fredrik Michelet. From 1896 Harbitz was a barrister with access to

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cases. In November 1891 in

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he married Helga Fredrikke Winding Pettersen, who hailed from

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Political career

In 1897 Harbitz became involved in the Conservative Association in

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. He chaired this association from 1898 to 1904. In December 1898 he was elected to serve in Kristiania city council. With 43 out of 84 votes, the city council elected Harbitz as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. He served as mayor for one term, until 1901. His term as mayor was greatly affected by the economic

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of 1899. Harbitz was also active in national politics, and was a member of the national Conservative Party for many years. He chaired the party from 1905 to 1908, succeeding Ole Larsen Skattebøl and being succeeded by Fredrik Stang, Jr. In 1905 he was asked to become a minister in the new cabinet Michelsen, but he declined. He also chaired the board of the conservative newspaper ''

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'' from 1902, but due to disagreements with editor-in-chief

Nils Vogt Nils Vogt may refer to: * Nils Vogt (comedian) (born 1948), Norwegian comedian * Nils Vogt (civil servant) (1926–2000), Norwegian civil servant and diplomat *Nils Collett Vogt (1864–1937), Norwegian poet * Nils Vogt (journalist) (1859–1927), ...

in 1913, both Harbitz and Vogt stepped down from their positions. Harbitz died three years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harbitz, Edmund 1861 births 1916 deaths 19th-century Norwegian lawyers Mayors of Oslo Norwegian people of British descent Leaders of the Conservative Party (Norway)