Erik Brofoss (21 June 1908 – 7 May 1979) 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 ...
economist and politician for the
Labour Party.
Brofoss was born in
Kongsberg
Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud, Viken county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production ...
. In his younger days he was an athlete who competed national level in the
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...
. He represented
Kongsberg IF
Kongsberg Idrettforening is a Norwegian sports club from Kongsberg, founded in 1899. It has sections for athletics, gymnastics, alpine skiing, ski jumping, cross country skiing, telemark skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, ice hockey, footbal ...
, and won a silver medal at the Norwegian championships in 1928. His career best time in 100 m was 10.8 seconds, achieved in August 1931 in Kongsberg. He had 6.96 metres in the
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
, achieved in July 1928 at
Bislett stadion
Bislett Stadium ( no, Bislett stadion) is a sports stadium in Oslo, Norway. Bislett is Norway's most well known sports arena internationally, with 15 speed skating world records and more than 50 track and field world records having been set here ...
.
He became
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
in 1945 and stayed in this position until 1947. He then helped found the
Ministry of Trade and Shipping and headed it from 1947 to 1954. He was later a director of the Executive Board of the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
from 1970 to 1973.
References
1908 births
1979 deaths
Ministers of Finance of Norway
Ministers of Trade and Shipping of Norway
Labour Party (Norway) politicians
Governors of the Central Bank of Norway
Norwegian male sprinters
Kongsberg IF
20th-century Norwegian economists
People from Kongsberg
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