Johan Tidemann Sverre (7 October 1867 – 6 June 1934) was a

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 ...

military officer and sports official.

Personal life

He was born in

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the ...

as a son of Erik Olsen (1831–1918) and Josefine Andrea Nicolaysen (1839–1899), and brother of Ole Sverre. He changed his last name from Olsen to Sverre in May 1892. In September 1893 in Fredrikstad he married Elna Jacobsen (1870–1958), a daughter of

Julius Nicolai Jacobsen Julius Nicolai Jacobsen (19 May 1829 – 25 December 1894) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician. He founded J. N. Jacobsen & Co. which became one of the country's larger forest product companies. Biography He was born in the borough of S ...

. The marriage lasted until January 1917. In February 1919 in Paris he married Gudny Thaulow, formerly married Bonnevie.

Career

He lived in Fredrikstad until 1887, when he moved to

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 ...

to attend Aars og Voss School. He took the

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

there in 1888, then graduated from the

Norwegian Military Academy The Norwegian Military Academy (), in Oslo, educates officers of the Norwegian Army and serves as the King's Royal Guard. The academy was established in 1750, and is the oldest institution for higher education in Norway. History The Commander- ...

in 1891 and the Norwegian Military College in 1894. He also took the Central School of Gymnastics from 1895 to 1896 and the Artillery' School of Riding from 1901 to 1902. He had a military career, as premier lieutenant from 1891. He served interchangeably in Akershus Infantry Brigade and Trondhjem Infantry Brigade. He served in the Artillery from 1895, and headed its petty officer's school from 1911. He was promoted to captain in 1898, major in 1915 and lieutenant colonel in 1926. He was an aide-de-camp for Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Norway from 1904 until the

dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 The dissolution of the union ( nb, unionsoppløsningen; nn, unionsoppløysinga; Landsmål: ''unionsuppløysingi''; sv, unionsupplösningen) between the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden under the House of Bernadotte, was set in motion by a resolu ...

, and served as military attaché to France from 1917 to 1921. He started practising sports in his hometown, and was a gymnast in Fredrikstad TF and rower in Fredrikstad RK. After 1887 he was an active rower in several Kristiania-based clubs. He was a co-founder of

Norske Studenters RK 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 th ...

and chaired the club from 1897 to 1907. The club was first based at

Vippetangen Vippetangen is the southern tip of the Akersnes peninsula in central Oslo, Norway, located southeast of Akershus Fortress and bounded on three sides by the Oslofjord. It has in the past served as an important part of the port of Oslo. The area is ...

, and from 1903 in

Frognerkilen Frognerkilen is a bay in the inner Oslofjord of Norway, east of the Bygdøy peninsula. Its name stems from the neighbourhood Frogner, a name which was taken from a farm. It was formerly known, with Bestumkilen, under the name of Ladegaardsfjord ...

near "Dronningen" at

Bygdøy Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula situated on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner; historically Bygdøy was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948. Bygdøy is a popul ...

. He was also deputy chairman of the Centralforeningen for Idræt. In 1907 he was chosen as the new chairman of the gymnastic club Christiania TF, which he led until 1912. In 1911 he became president of the Norwegian Gymnastics Federation. He chaired the confederation of sports, the Norges Riksforbund for Idræt from 1914 to 1918, having been vice president since 1912. He was also the Norwegian squad leader and administrator for the

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

and

1912 Olympic Games Year 191 ( CXCI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Bradua (or, less frequently, year 944 '' Ab urbe cond ...

. From 1908 to 1927 he served as Norway's member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

. Sverre was also admitted into the exclusive skiing-based social club

SK Ull SK may refer to: Businesses and organizations * SK Foods, an American agribusiness company * SK Hand Tools, an American tool manufacturer * Sangguniang Kabataan, Philippines youth councils * SK Group, South Korean conglomerate * Scandinavian Air ...

in 1896. He died in June 1934 in Oslo.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sverre, Johan 1867 births 1934 deaths People from Fredrikstad Norwegian Military Academy alumni Norwegian Military College alumni Norwegian Army personnel Norwegian sports executives and administrators Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Norwegian expatriates in France SK Ull members International Olympic Committee members Norwegian military attachés