John Ottar Qvale MVO (14 July 191114 October 1997) was a Norwegian police chief and judge. He was born in Kristiania as a son of merchant John Qvale (1884–1915) and Karen Berg (1884–1958). In 1939 he married Anna Marie Nilsen. His brother was the well reputated Norwegian musician Kai Angel Næsteby who played with

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in 187 ...

for more than 40 years. He enrolled as a student in 1930. He was trained as a military officer in 1932, and took the Hærens Flyveskole in 1934. He also 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, and was a deputy judge in Oslo from 1937 to 1938 and

Senja or is an island in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway, Europe. With an area of , it is the second largest island in Norway (outside of the Svalbard archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the Atlantic, and a mild ...

in 1938. In between he was a secretary in the

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 ...

. He was a secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs from 1942, police superintendent in Kristiansand from 1945 and Romerike from 1947. He was acting chief of police in Romerike from 1950 to 1951 before serving as police inspector in Bergen from 1951 and in Oslo from 1954. He was the chief of police in Asker and Bærum from 1961 to 1972, and

stipendiary magistrate Stipendiary magistrates were magistrates that were paid for their work (they received a stipend). They existed in the judiciaries of the United Kingdom and those of several former British territories, where they sat in the lowest-level criminal ...

in Oslo from 1972. He chaired his trade union Politiembetsmennenes Landsforening from 1956 to 1958 and 1966 to 1970, having previously been deputy chair from 1955 to 1956. He was also a member of the Aviation Accident Commission from 1956 to 1960. Qvale was heavily decorated. He received the Defence Medal 1940–1945 for participation in World War II, and the Haakon VII Anniversary Medal of 1955. He was a Knight First Class of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

(Denmark) and the Order of Vasa (Sweden), a Knight of the Royal Victorian Order (United Kingdom), a Grand Knight of the Order of the Falcon (Iceland) and an Officer of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia. He was a Commander of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

(Belgium), the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...

, the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the

Order of the Yugoslav Flag Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, the Order of the Lion and the Sun (Iran), the Order of the Tunisian Republic. He died in October 1997 and was buried in Ullern.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qvale, John 1911 births 1997 deaths Norwegian police chiefs Norwegian judges Norwegian aviators Norwegian Army Air Service personnel Norwegian Army personnel Commanders of the Order of the Lion of Finland Grand Knights of the Order of the Falcon Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Knights First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights First Class of the Order of Vasa Honorary Members of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia