Finn Palmstrøm (19 October 1903 – 26 January 1987) was a Norwegian jurist. He was a budala and judge before and during the Second World War, and also fought as a soldier. After the war he was a civil servant and judge, serving as district stipendiary magistrate between 1946 and 1973. He also had a short period in local politics.

Pre-war life and career

He was born 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 ...

as a son of professor Arnfinn Palmstrøm (1867–1922) and Henrikke Qvigstad (1864–1907), and younger brother of actuary Henrik Palmstrøm. He

finished Finished may refer to: * ''Finished'' (novel), a 1917 novel by H. Rider Haggard * ''Finished'' (film), a 1923 British silent romance film * "Finished" (short story), a science fiction short story by L. Sprague de Camp See also *Finishing (disa ...

his secondary education in 1922 and took 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 at the

University of Oslo 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 ...

in 1926. After working the years 1926 to 1929 as a junior solicitor, he started his own law firm together with Richard August Riekeles in 1930. Palmstrøm was a deputy judge in Vest-Telemark District Court from 1935 to 1937, and then returned to the law firm.

World War II

During the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

, which lasted from 1939 to 1940, Palmstrøm was a volunteer on the Finnish side, fighting against the Soviet Union. He returned to Norway to find his country invaded by Germany on 9 April 1940, and Palmstrøm took part in the subsequent fighting. He soon fled to the United Kingdom, where he joined

Norwegian Independent Company 1 Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...

("Kompani Linge"). He trained with the company in 1941 and 1942, and participated in the Måløy Raid. From 1942 to 1945 he was a defender in the Norwegian military court 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 ...

. He held the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. From 1944 to 1946 he also headed the "Norwegian national office", an office tasked with registering people whom the Norwegian government-in-exile regarded as war criminals.

Post-war life and career

From 1945 to 1946 he was an acting assistant secretary in the

Norwegian Ministry of Justice The Royal Ministry of Justice and Public Security ( no, Det kongelige justis- og beredskapsdepartement) is a Norwegian government ministry that oversees justice, the police, and domestic intelligence. The main purpose of the ministry is to provide ...

. He was also present at the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

of 1945 and 1946, and wrote the ''Report on Germany's Crimes against Norway'' together with Rolf Normann Torgersen. He was also one of four Norwegian members of the

United Nations War Crimes Commission The United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC) initially called the United Nations Commission for the Investigation of War Crimes, was a commission of the United Nations that investigated allegations of war crimes committed by Nazi Germany and ...

, together with Jacob Aars Rynning,

Erik Colban Erik Andreas Colban (18 October 1876 – 28 March 1956) was a Norwegian diplomat. Colban had many important roles in Norwegian diplomacy; especially being named to the post of Norwegian Ambassador in London before and during the Second World ...

and

Terje Wold Terje Wold (23 August 1899 – 6 September 1972) was a Norwegian judge and politician for the Labour Party. Terje Wold was born in Evenes. He graduated as cand.jur. in 1921. He worked as a jurist, becoming a Supreme Court Justice of Norway in ...

. In 1946 he finally quit the law firm as he was appointed as the district stipendiary magistrate of Tana District Court. From 1946 to 1952 he was also a judge in cases pertaining to war affairs in

Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...

. From 1952 to 1973 he was the district stipendiary magistrate of Solør District Court. While serving here, he was also a member of Åsnes

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

from 1960 to 1962. After retiring, he moved back to Oslo where he functioned as a civil servant in the Ministry of Agriculture. He was decorated with the Defence Medal 1940–1945, the 1939–45 Star, the

Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal is a Norwegian military award, which was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 27 October 1942. It was awarded in recognition of military personnel who served in the Norwegian armed forces in Britain on the ...

and a Finnish war medal. He was married to British citizen Bettine Marie Louise Ridley since 1937. He died in January 1987 and was buried at Vestre gravlund.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmstroem, Finn 1903 births 1987 deaths Judges from Oslo University of Oslo alumni Volunteers in the Winter War Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom Norwegian civil servants Hedmark politicians Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Burials at Vestre gravlund 20th-century Norwegian lawyers Norwegian expatriates in Finland