Odd Einar Dørum (born 12 October 1943)Sjavik, Jan (2010) ''The A to Z of Norway'', Scarecrow Press, , p. 60 is 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 ...

former politician and former member of

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 ...

, representing the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He was leader of the party on two occasions (1982–1986 and 1992–1996) and served as minister in

Kjell Magne Bondevik Kjell Magne Bondevik (; born 3 September 1947) is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician. As leader of the Christian Democratic Party, he served as the 33rd prime minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him, af ...

's both cabinets from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2001 to 2005.

Career

Dørum grew up in

Oslo 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 ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

, and

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, where he studied history at university. He was a member of Venstre's youth organization ( Unge Venstre), and from 1970 to 1972 was its leader. He was a city councillor in Trondheim while working as a social worker. Dørum was a member of parliament from 1977 to 1981 and was re-elected in 1997. He was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then

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 ...

until 17 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government of

from 2001 to 2005. He served four terms as an elected member of the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) (1977–1981, 1997–2001, 2001–2005, and 2005–2009). He did not seek re-election in the 2009 election. He was the leader of the

from 1982 to 1986 and again from 1992 to 1996. Despite becoming an experienced Minister of Justice, Dørum himself had a run-in with the law in his youth. He participated in a non-violent civil disobedience protest in Mardøla, Norway in 1970. Protesting against the government turning several waterfalls into powerplants, he was carried away by police together with other prominent protestors like philosopher

Arne Næss Arne Dekke Eide Næss (; 27 January 1912 – 12 January 2009) was a Norwegian philosopher who coined the term "deep ecology", an important intellectual and inspirational figure within the environmental movement of the late twentieth century ...

. This marked the first time civil disobedience was used to protect the environment in Norway. Dørum is known as a very grounded person, and unlike most politicians his age he does not take himself very seriously. For decades he has been a huge fan of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

'' books and made headlines when he showed up for the premiere of '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' wearing a

hobbit Hobbits are a fictional race of people in the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. About half average human height, Tolkien presented hobbits as a variety of humanity, or close relatives thereof. Occasionally known as halflings in Tolkien's writings, ...

s robe, much to the amusement of its star

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argent ...

. He later donned the same outfit again in an outdoor Lord of the Rings concert in Frognerparken in

in 2005. Dørum is a Christian of part

German-Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

descent on his mother's side.https://nbl.snl.no/Odd_Einar_D%C3%B8rum ''Norsk biografisk leksikon'' He lives in Oslo, married to Randi Gerd Øverland and has two children.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorum, Odd Einar 1943 births Living people Liberal Party (Norway) politicians Members of the Storting Ministers of Transport and Communications of Norway Norwegian people of German-Jewish descent People educated at the Trondheim Cathedral School 21st-century Norwegian politicians 20th-century Norwegian politicians Ministers of Justice of Norway