Mathias Otto Leth Sommerhielm (22 August 1764 15 November 1827) was a Danish-Norwegian politician who served as the

Norwegian prime minister The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...

in Stockholm.

Biography

Mathias Otto Leth Sommerhielm was born in the seaport of

Kolding Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companie ...

in southern

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. He graduated from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

with degrees in Latin and Law in 1785. He subsequently moved to Christiania where he was appointed a prosecutor in 1789. In 1801, Sommerhielm became director general of military prosecutions and in 1807 he became member of the Superior Criminal Court. After Denmark's loss of Norway to Sweden, he attended the Meeting of Notables in

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information ...

on 16 February 1814. He served as

First Minister A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...

from 1815 to 1822, a position assigned to the most prominent cabinet minister at the time. In 1822, Sommerhielm was appointed

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...

, following the resignation of

Peder Anker Peder Anker (8 December 1749 – 10 December 1824) was a prominent Norwegian landowner, businessman and politician. He served as the prime minister of Norway from 1814 until 1822. Biography Peder Anker was a member of a Danish-Norwegian nob ...

due to personal illness. Sommerhielm became Norway's second prime minister, an office located in Stockholm. He held the office until 1827, when the seat was vacated. He died in Stockholm later that year.Mathias Sommerhielm Biography (Norwegian Government Administration Services)
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Awards

Sommerhielm was awarded the Order of the Dannebrog (''Dannebrogordenen''),

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

(''Nordstjerneorden'') and

Seraphim Medal The Seraphim Medal ( sv, Serafimermedaljen) is a royal medal of Sweden. Established in 1748, it is awarded by the King of Sweden for service that benefits society or service of a humanitarian nature. Appearance The Seraphim Medal is a gold medal ...

(''Serafimerordenen'').

References

External links

Matthias Otto Leth Sommerhielm (Statsrådsaktivitet)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sommerhielm, Mathias 1764 births 1827 deaths Government ministers of Norway 19th-century Norwegian politicians Members of the Storting People from Kolding University of Copenhagen alumni Order of the Dannebrog Order of the Polar Star Ministers of Justice of Norway