Nils Hønsvald (4 December 1899 – 24 November 1971) 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 ...

newspaper editor and politician for the Labour Party. He was one of the leading figures in Norwegian politics from 1945 to 1969. He served as President of the Nordic Council in 1958 and 1963. Hønsvald was born in Horten,

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered t ...

County, Norway. He was editor of ''

Østfold Arbeiderblad ''Østfold Arbeiderblad'' was a newspaper published in Sarpsborg in Østfold county, Norway. It was started in 1921 as the regional newspaper for the Norwegian Labour Party. In the same year the Labour Party had lost its newspaper in the region, '' ...

'' in

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...

, regional newspaper for the Norwegian Labour Party which was discontinued in 1929 and editor of ''

Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad ''Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad'' is a local newspaper in Sarpsborg, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northern ...

'', a local newspaper published in Sarpsborg (1929–1969). He participated in the Left Communist Youth League's

military strike action A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of 1924. He was convicted for assisting in this crime and sentenced to 120 days of prison. He was later present at the congress of 24 April 1927 when the Left Communist Youth League was merged with the Socialist Youth League to found the Workers' Youth League. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany 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 th ...

, he was arrested in March 1941. He was incarcerated at

Møllergata 19 Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here. This is ...

before being transferred to Ånebyleiren concentration camp and then to

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location=Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates= List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderm ...

in May. He was released on 12 June 1941. In December 1944 he was arrested again, and was transferred from

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 ...

to Grini, where he remained until the war's end. Hønsvald was Minister of Supplies and Reconstruction (1948–1950), and minister without ministry in 1950. Hønsvald was President of the Lagting (1961–1965) and President of the

Odelsting The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

(1965–1969).''Hønsvald, Nils'' (Stortingets informasjonshjørne)
/ref> Nils Hønsvalds gate in

was named in his honor.

References

External links

Photograph of Nils Hønsvald
1899 births 1971 deaths People from Horten Labour Party (Norway) politicians Government ministers of Norway Members of the Storting Norwegian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Norway Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors Vice Presidents of the Storting 20th-century Norwegian politicians {{Norway-politician-1890s-stub