Nobel Prize

Short biography Tranmæl, Martin Olsen 1879 -1967 Politician, Newspaper EditorLabour Martin Tranmæl had little formal education, but he took great interest in reading, especially history. He became a member of a trade union that was associated with the Labour Party in 1896. Three years later, he was one of the founders of the newspaper Ny…

Short biography Horst, Hans Jacob 1848 – 1931 Educationist and politician Liberal Hans Jacob Horst received his M.A. (Cand. Philol.) in 1874. He first became a teacher and later, Headmaster. From 1881 he was engaged in ‘The Liberal Union’ (Venstreforeningen) and ‘The Workers’ Union’ (Arbeiderforeningen) in Tromsø. He soon became engaged in the local government…

Short biography Nordli, Odvar 1927 – 2018 Auditor and politician Labour Odvar, Nordli worked as an auditor in Hedmark county (fylke) in 1949-1957 and District Auditor from 1957. He became engaged in politics as a young man and was elected chairman of the regional branch of the Labour Party’s youth organisation in 1951-1961. Nordli was…

Short biography Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Martinus 1832 – 1910 Dramatist, author, poet, prominent Norwegian patriot Liberal Bjørnson finished Upper Secondary School in 1852 and then became a journalist. He wrote literary reviews and short stories. In 1857 he made his literary debut with the peasant tale Synnøve Solbakken. He was instructor and artistic leader at the…

Short biography Lange, Christian Lous 1869-1938 Teacher, Historian and Organiser in the peace movement. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1921 Labour Lange graduated in the humanities 1893, and got a Ph.D. in 1919. He was originally educated as a teacher in language (English and French), history and geography. Primarily because he spoke several languages fluently, he…

by Øyvind Tønnesson Nobelprize.org Peace Editor, 1998-2000 1 December 1999 The Norwegian Nobel Institute building in Oslo, bought by the Nobel Foundation in 1903. The building (inset) as it looks today. Copyright © The Norwegian Nobel Institute The Norwegian Nobel Institute was established in 1904, and moved into its present building in central Oslo, close…

By Irwin Abrams Antioch University The Nobel Peace Prizes at their best set before us an array of great human spirits. The nine women Prizewinners clearly belong in this list. They come from a variety of backgrounds and represent a variety of forms of peace making. The earliest of these heroines of peace was the…

Short biography Braadland, Birger 1879 – 1966 Officer, politician and forest owner The farmers’ party Birger Braadland graduated from high school in 1897 and entered the Military Academy in 1903. He rose to the rank of Captain in 1911, became Aide-de-camp (adjutant) to the Norwegian King in 1915-1918, and was appointed Major in 1930. Braadland,…

Short biography Lund, John Theodor 1842 – 1913 Customs officer and politician Liberal John Theodor Lund was strongly involved in local government in the city of Bergen for thirty years. He was a member of the Norwegian Storting in 1883-1885 and in 1892-1900. He served as President of the Lagting in 1893-1900. Lund was a…

by Øyvind Tønnesson Nobelprize.org Peace Editor, 1998-2000 1 December 1999 Stable socialist dominance, strong commitment to the western military alliance and support for the United Nations were central features of Norwegian politics after the Second World War. To what extent did these features similarly apply to the Nobel Committee? Who were the committee members, what…