Son of Christian Lous Lange, Halvard Lange got his M.A. in 1929. He worked as a teacher in 1930-1935. He lectured in history at the University of Oslo in 1935-1938. Lange was engaged in politics from 1927. He was a member of the central board of the Labour Party from 1933. During the Second World War he was arrested and spent the period from 1942 up to the German surrender in 1945, in German concentration camps.

Halvard Lange became Norway's Foreign Minister in 1946 and held that position until 1965 (except for one month in 1963 when the country had a non-socialist government). He was considered a right-winger within the Labour Party and was a strong proponent of western alignment. Lange was a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee 1945-1948, but he was on leave from 1946.


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