Short biography

Getz, Bernhard

1850 – 1901
Public prosecutor and politician
Conservative

Bernhard Getz became professor of criminal law at the University of Kristiania (Oslo) in 1876. He was engaged in the studies and teaching of constitutional and international law. One of the leading Norwegian jurists, he was appointed Norway’s first public prosecutor in 1889.

In 1884 Getz became one of the founders of Kristiania Konservative Forening, a conservative association in the Norwegian capital. He then served as member of the city council for several years. From 1887 he was an executive member of the council and its chairman in the period 1891-1892. Bernhard Getz was the first chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, but died shortly before the first Nobel Prize was awarded in 1901.

Back to the list of Norwegian Nobel Committee members 1901-2017

The biographical sketches of the Norwegian Nobel Committee members were written by Sølvi Glendrange and edited by Øyvind Tønnesson. They are based on the following sources:
– Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (Norwegian Biographical Encyclopaedia), Oslo 1923-1983
– Hvem er Hvem? (The Norwegian “Who’s Who”), several editions
– Aschehoug og Gyldendals Store Norske Leksikon (The Norwegian National Encyclopaedia), Kunnskapsforlaget, 2nd and 3rd edition, Oslo 1989/1995-1999
– Kunnskapsforlagets Nettleksikon (the Web Encyclopedia of Kunnskapsforlaget, www.kunnskapsforlaget.no), Oslo 1999