Otto Bahr Halvorsen (28 May 1872 – 23 May 1923) 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 ...

lawyer and politician from 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 ...

, who served as the 14th

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 ...

from 1920 to 1921 and again in 1923 up until his death in office.

Background

Halvorsen was born in

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 o ...

(now Oslo, Norway) to Otto Hellen Halvorsen (1840-1921) and Karine Christine Christiansen (1847-1927). He attended Kristiania Cathedral School. He studied law at the University of Kristiania where he completed his

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 ...

in 1890. As a licensed attorney, in 1904 he opened a law firm in Kristiania.

Political career

In 1912 Halvorsen was first elected to the

Storting 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 ...

from the neighborhood of Gamle Aker in the district of

St. Hanshaugen St. Hanshaugen (Norwegian for St. John's Hill) is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. Area It has a triangular shape, with its northern border just north of the buildings of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and Ullevål University Hos ...

in Kristiania. Halvorsen served Kristiania in the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

from the Conservative Party from 1913 to 1923. He became Prime Minister during 1920 while also serving as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. He again became Prime Minister in May 1923 while simultaneously serving as Minister of Justice. Between these terms, Halvorsen was leader of the Conservative Party in Parliament and

President of the Storting 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 ...

(''stortingspresident'').

Personal life

In 1899, he was married to Kathrine Hofgaard (1875-1960), daughter of Simon Wright Hofgaard and Ida Mathilde Aars.

References

External links

Otto B. Halvorsen's First Government

Otto B. Halvorsen's Second Government
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halvorsen, Otto Bahr 1872 births 1923 deaths Lawyers from Oslo People educated at Oslo Cathedral School University of Oslo alumni Politicians from Oslo Leaders of the Conservative Party (Norway) Presidents of the Storting Members of the Storting Prime Ministers of Norway Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Burials at Vestre gravlund Ministers of Justice of Norway