Jan Petersen (born 11 June 1946, in

Oslo 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 ...

) is a Norwegian politician for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. Petersen was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

in 1981, and was re-elected on six occasions. He had previously served as a deputy representative during the term 1973–1977. From 2001 to 2005, when the second cabinet Bondevik held office, Petersen was

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 ...

. During this period his seat in parliament was held by André Oktay Dahl. On the local level Petersen was a member of Oppegård municipal council from 1967 to 1983, serving as mayor from 1975 to 1981. He chaired the Conservative Party from 1994 to 2004. From 1971 to 1973 he was the leader of the Young Conservatives (''Unge Høyre''), the youth wing of the Conservative Party. Outside politics Petersen has a

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 from 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 1973. Before entering national politics he worked for a few years in the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). From 2009 to 2014 he served as the Norwegian ambassador to Austria, and he then retired. In 2004, Petersen was appointed a Commander with Star of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Jan 1946 births Living people Members of the Storting Foreign Ministers of Norway Mayors of places in Akershus People from Oppegård University of Oslo alumni Ambassadors of Norway to Austria Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class Leaders of the Conservative Party (Norway) 21st-century Norwegian politicians 20th-century Norwegian politicians