Erik Dons (2 April 1915 – 29 January 2002) was a Norwegian diplomat. He was born in Horten as a son of navy captain Hans Fleischer Dons (1882–1940) and his wife Hilda Marie Høyer. He finished his secondary education in 1934, and graduated from the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

with the

cand.jur. Candidate of Law (Latin: ''candidatus/candidata juris/iuris'') is both a graduate law degree awarded to law students in the Nordic region as well as an academic status designation for advanced Law School students in German-speaking countries. ...

degree in 1939. He started working in the

Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Norwegian (Bokmål): ''Det kongelige utenriksdepartement''; Norwegian (Nynorsk): ''Det kongelege utanriksdepartement'') is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway. It was established on June ...

in 1940, and followed the political leadership into exile in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

during the Second World War. He was promoted to assistant secretary in 1949. He was a counsellor to the Norwegian

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

delegation from 1952, and was present in the delegations to the General Assembly from 1946 to 1955. He also represented Norway in the

International Refugee Organization The International Refugee Organization (IRO) was an intergovernmental organization founded on 20 April 1946 to deal with the massive refugee problem created by World War II. A Preparatory Commission began operations fourteen months previously. ...

's general council in 1949 and 1951, and in the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

delegation from 1954 to 1956. He served as ambassador to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

from 1956 to 1959, the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

from 1959 to 1964 and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

from 1964 to 1966. He was succeeded by

Jørgen Finne-Grønn Jørgen Magnus Finne-Grønn (30 July 1905 – 3 October 1998) was a Norwegian diplomat. He was born in Kristiania as a son of genealogist Stian Herlofsen Finne-Grønn (1869–1953) and Margrethe Borchgrevink (1873–1963). He was a brother of pai ...

. He was hired as a special adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1967, and from 1976 to 1981 he was Norway's ambassador to

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. He then worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs again, until 1985. He wrote two books, ''Norsk statsborgerrett'' (1947) and ''FN i arbeid'' (1949). He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav (1958) and held the Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

. His Order of St. Olav was upgraded to Commander in 1978. He died in January 2002 and was buried in

Ris, Oslo Ris (formerly written Riis) is an affluent neighborhood Vinderen Vinderen is a neighbourhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It was a separate borough until 1 January 2004, when it was incorporated into the newly established borough of Vestre Aker. Its amenities include Vinderen station. The prosp ...

in his later life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dons, Erik 1915 births 2002 deaths People from Horten University of Oslo alumni Norwegian civil servants Norwegian non-fiction writers Ambassadors of Norway to Thailand Ambassadors of Norway to Indonesia Ambassadors of Norway to the Philippines Ambassadors of Norway to China Ambassadors of Norway to Portugal Ambassadors of Norway to East Germany Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom Norwegian expatriates in the United States 20th-century non-fiction writers