Ragnar Toralf Kalheim (22 December 1926 – 26 May 1974) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the

Socialist Electoral League The Socialist Left Party of Norway ( no, Sosialistisk Venstreparti or SV) was founded in 1975. Its history shows a long-term rise in political influence, resulting in part from its emergence from older left-wing parties, especially the Socialist ...

Early and personal life

He was born as Ragnar Toralf Edh in Nesbyen as a son of laborer Yngvar Reinholdt Edh (1901–1975) and Josefine Alette Kalheim (1905–1996). The family lived several places, and moved to Tønsberg in the interwar period. Here, Kalheim was a member of

Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...

during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. He changed his last name from Edh to Kalheim in 1946. In December 1950, he married Anne Grethe Thorsen.

Politics and trade unionism

In 1945, when the Second World War was over, Kalheim openly joined the communist movement. From 1946 he chaired the

Young Communist League of Norway The Young Communist League of Norway ( no, Norges Kommunistiske Ungdomsforbund, NKU) was until April 2006 the youth league of Norges Kommunistiske Parti (NKP). The NKP declared on 1 April 2006 that the NKU was no longer its youth organization, an ...

chapter in Tønsberg, and from 1949 he was a secretary in the Young Communist League nationally. However, following the

Peder Furubotn Peder Furubotn (29 August 1890 – 28 November 1975) was a Norwegian cabinetmaker, politician for the Communist Party and resistance member during World War II. Early and personal life Furubotn was born in Brekke, Sogn og Fjordane, the son o ...

controversy in 1949 and 1950, in which Kalheim sided with Furubotn, he was excluded from the party. He instead concentrated more on his trade union activity. Since 1949 he worked in

Akers Mekaniske Verksted Akers mekaniske Verksted (often abbreviated ''Akers mek. Verksted'' or ''Akers Mek.'') was a workshop, later a shipyard which was established in Fossveien by the Aker River in Oslo in 1841. In 1854 the company moved to Holmen on the west side of P ...

. In 1957 he became a board member in the

Norwegian Union of Iron and Metalworkers The Norwegian Union of Iron and Metalworkers ( no, Norsk Jern- og Metallarbeiderforbund, NJMF) was a trade union representing workers in the metal industry, workshops, and shipbuilding in Norway. The union was founded in 1891, and in 1905 it joine ...

. He chaired the local chapter Oslo Jern og Metall from 1973. He was also active in the movement against nuclear arms and against

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

. In 1972 he was a member of the popular movement Folkebevegelsen mot EF, which worked, successfully, to

prevent Prevention may refer to: Health and medicine * Preventive healthcare, measures to prevent diseases or injuries rather than curing them or treating their symptoms General safety * Crime prevention, the attempt to reduce deter crime and crimin ...

Norwegian membership in the

European Communities The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), and the ...

. He was a member of the Labour Party from 1959 to, but partly since the Labour Party was a strong advocate for European Communities membership, he left the party in 1973. He was instead one of the main architects behind the new

, and was elected as a deputy representative to the

Parliament of Norway 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 ...

from Oslo during the term 1973–1977. However, he died shortly into the term, in May 1974 in Oslo. He had struggled with heart problems for a while. A square at Aker Brygge, near the old Akers Mekaniske Verksted factory, was named ''Ragnar Kalheims plass'' after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalheim, Ragnar 1926 births 1974 deaths Politicians from Tønsberg Norwegian resistance members Norwegian trade unionists Norwegian anti–nuclear weapons activists Communist Party of Norway politicians Labour Party (Norway) politicians Socialist Left Party (Norway) politicians People from Nes, Buskerud Deputy members of the Storting Politicians from Oslo