Johan Cappelen (25 February 1889 – 18 October 1947) was a Norwegian lawyer and 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 ...

. He was born in Skogn as a son of physician

Johan Christian Severin Cappelen Johan Christian Severin Cappelen (25 January 1855 – 12 December 1935) was a Norway, Norwegian physician. He was born in Selje as a son of district physician Johan Nicolay Cappelen (1818–1890) and Elisabeth Brunchorst Ravn (1825–1906). His br ...

(1855–1936) and Katharina M. Steen (1859–1915). He had one sister and one brother. He was a nephew of physician Axel Hermansen Cappelen. He graduated from the Royal Frederick University with

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 1911. He worked as a deputy judge, and from 1915, attorney in

Trondhjem Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

. He was barrister"Monthly Report on the Economic Conditions in Norway," Volumes 12-18, ''Norges banks seddeltrykkeri'', (1936), p.109 with access to work with

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

from 1922. As a politician Cappelen was elected to Trondhjem city council, serving as mayor from 1931 to 1934. In 1940 he was appointed County Governor of Sør-Trøndelag. However, due to the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

Cappelen was removed in the autumn of 1940. In 1942 he joined the "Five Man Committee" in Trøndelag which was going to build the resistance group Sivorg. He was a close contact of

Ferdinand Schjelderup Ferdinand Schjelderup (8 March 1886 – 30 July 1955) was a Norwegian mountaineer, Supreme Court Justice and resistance member during the German occupation of Norway. Personal life He was born in Kristiania as the son of Thorleif Frederik Schj ...

in Kretsen. In 1943 he was denounced by

Henry Rinnan Henry Oliver Rinnan (14 May 1915 – 1 February 1947) was a notorious Norwegian Gestapo agent in the area around Trondheim, Norway during World War II. Rinnan led a group called ''Sonderabteilung Lola''. This group, known as ''Rinnanbanden'' among ...

when the Thingstad Group was discovered. He was arrested in March 1943 and imprisoned in Vollan and

Falstad '', '' no, Falstad fangeleir'', construction=1895-1910 Falstad concentration camp (Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Falstad fangeleir'', German language, German: ''SS-Strafgefangenenlager Falstad'') was situated in the village of Ekne in what was ...

. After falling ill he was transferred to Innherred Hospital, where he managed to continue his resistance work with contacts to Trondheim. However, in March 1945 he was transferred to Grini concentration camp and remained there until the war's end. When the occupation ended in 1945, Cappelen was appointed

Minister of Justice and the Police In Norway, the Minister of Justice and Public Security is the head of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police and a member of Government of Norway. The current Justice Minister is Emilie ...

in the non-partisan coalition government

Gerhardsen's First Cabinet Gerhardsen's First Cabinet, often called the Unification Cabinet ( no, Samlingsregjeringen), was a Norwegian government appointed to serve under Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen between 25 June and 5 November 1945, in the aftermath of the Second W ...

. This cabinet lasted from June to November 1945, when a general election was held and the Gerhardsen's Second Cabinet assumed office. Cappelen was then reinstated as County Governor of Sør-Trøndelag, a post he held until his death in 1947.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cappelen, Johan 1889 births 1947 deaths People from Levanger University of Oslo alumni 20th-century Norwegian lawyers Mayors of Trondheim Conservative Party (Norway) politicians County governors of Norway Government ministers of Norway Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors Falstad concentration camp survivors Vollan concentration camp survivors

Johan Johan * Johan (given name) * Johan (film), ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** Johan (album), ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunav ...

Ministers of Justice of Norway