Halvor Olsen Folkestad (28 November 1807 – 30 September 1889) was a Bishop in the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

. He was appointed

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 the ...

Councillor of State ''in interim'' in 1875. Folkestad was born at Bø in

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

, Norway. He was the son of Ole Halvorsen Folkestad (1778-1864) and Asberg Augundsdatter (1785-1866). He graduated in 1831 and then worked as a tutor in

Gjerpen Gjerpen is a former township which is now part of the municipality of Skien, in Telemark county, Norway. Location The parish of Gjerpen was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census th ...

. After a year of studies in Christiania (now called Oslo), he received his theological degree in 1836. In 1841, he was appointed vicar of

Mo, Telemark Mo is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Tokke Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Vistad which is located just we ...

. From 1849 he served for the next 10 years as parish priest in

Kviteseid Kviteseid is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark in the Counties of Norway, county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative ...

and inspector at Kviteseid Seminary. In 1859, he became as vicar in Fredrikshald (now called

Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a town and a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, Rakkestad to the north and Aremark to the east, as well as the Swedish muni ...

). In 1864 he was appointed bishop of the newly created

Diocese of Hamar The Diocese of Hamar ( no, Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner in Viken county. Administratively, the diocese is divided ...

. In 1873, he was appointed by King

Oscar II of Sweden Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...

to be royal court pastor (). In 1875, he was a member of the interim government during the king's trip abroad. Folkestad sought and obtained dismissal of the episcopal office in 1887 at age 79. He died at Hamar during 1889 was buried at

Vår Frelsers gravlund The Cemetery of Our Saviour ( no, Vår Frelsers gravlund) is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It is located adjacent to the older Old Aker Cemetery and was created in 1808 as a result of the great ...

in Oslo.

References

1807 births 1889 deaths People from Telemark 19th-century Lutheran bishops Government ministers of Norway Norwegian priest-politicians 19th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy Bishops of Hamar Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour {{Norway-politician-1800s-stub