Johan Olaus Søhr MVO (né Sørensen; 6 September 1867 – 1 January 1949) was a Norwegian jurist and police officer. Commonly known as Joh. Søhr.

Personal life

Søhr was born in Oterøy,

Sannidal Sannidal is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1960. The area is now part of Kragerø Municipality. The administrative centre was ...

, as the son of farmer and ship owner Johan Christian Sørensen and Ellen Kathrine Sørensen. He was married to Margit Mosgaard. In 1914 he changed his name from Sørensen to Søhr. He died in

Bærum Bærum () is a list of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Akershus County, Norway. It forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a populatio ...

in 1949.

Career

Søhr finished his secondary education in

Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) 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 of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...

in 1885. He studied at the

Norwegian Military Academy The Norwegian Military Academy (), in Oslo, educates officers of the Norwegian Army and serves as the King's Royal Guard. The academy was established in 1750, and is the oldest institution for higher education in Norway. History The Commander- ...

, and then Law at the University of Kristiania, graduating as

cand.jur. Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

in 1890. His first assignments were in

Søndre Bergenhus Hordaland () was a Counties of Norway, county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordala ...

and in

Østerdalen Østerdalen () is a valley and Districts of Norway, traditional district in Innlandet county, in Eastern Norway. This area typically is described as the large Glåma river valley as well as all its tributary valleys. Østerdalen is often subdivide ...

. He started working for the Kristiania Police in 1896, and as police inspector from 1906 to 1913. He was chief of the criminal department of the Kristiania Police from 1913 to 1925. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was responsible for the investigation of several espionage cases. Among these were the

Otto von Rosen Otto Carl Robert von Rosen (11 May 1884–26 May 1963) was a Swedish military officer and sport shooter who participated in sabotage attacks during the First World War. Biography Baron Von Rosen was born in Solna, Sweden. He is reported to have ...

case, which involved confiscation of explosives, bottles with the toxin

curare Curare ( or ; or ) is a common name for various alkaloid arrow poisons originating from plant extracts. Used as a paralyzing agent by indigenous peoples in Central and South America for hunting and for therapeutic purposes, curare only ...

, and

anthrax bacteria Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...

, and the Rautenfels case, when 188 kg of explosives were confiscated at the railway station Oslo Ø. From 1925 to 1937 Søhr was Chief of Police of Aker. In 1938 he published the book ''Spioner og bomber. Fra opdagelsespolitiets arbeide under verdenskrigen'', an account of the espionage cases during World War I. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1917, and was also Knight of the Swedish

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

. He was decorated Knight of the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, Officer of the Dutch

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

, and received the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

and the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soehr, Johan 1867 births 1949 deaths People from Kragerø Norwegian Military Academy alumni University of Oslo alumni Norwegian police chiefs Norwegian non-fiction writers Espionage writers Norwegian memoirists Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Legion of Honour Honorary members of the Order of the British Empire Honorary members of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau