(25 November 1930 – 17 September 1997) was a Norwegian lawyer and politician from the Conservative Party. He was the

prime minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...

from 1989 to 1990. He also served as the minister of Industry from 1983 to 1985. Syse was the president of the Lagting 1993–1997. Syse was the president of the

Nordic Council The Nordic Council is the official body for formal inter-parliamentary Nordic cooperation among the Nordic countries. Formed in 1952, it has 87 representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as from the autonomo ...

in 1988 and 1993. He served in the

Norwegian parliament The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

for over 25 years until his sudden death from a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

in 1997.

Early life and career

Syse was born in

Nøtterøy Nøtterøy is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2018. The area is now part of Færder Municipality. The admini ...

in the county of

Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...

. He was the son of Peter Syse (1888–1965) and Magnhild Bjønnes (1898–1985). His father was a local politician and dental surgeon. He earned his examen artium in 1949 and his degree in law in 1957. He was politically active as a student, serving as chair of Den Konservative Studenterforening, Det Norske Studentersamfund, and the construction committee for Chateau Neuf. His initial professional experience was as an attorney and manager for the deep sea shipping company Wilh. Wilhelmsen. He worked for Wilhelmsen at various times throughout his career, and was also employed as the editor for Wilhelmsen's newsletter, ''Skib-rederi''. Jan P. Syse met Else Walstad (1936–2021) while they both were students at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

in 1955, and they were married in 1959. They had two sons, philosopher Henrik Syse and diplomat Christian Syse.

Political career

After being a member of the national council for the Conservative Party since 1957, he started his elected political career in 1963 when he was elected to the

Oslo 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 ...

city council, where he served two terms. He was elected into the

Storting The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The Unicameralism, unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list propo ...

as a deputy representative in 1965. He started his term as a full voting member in 1969 to replace Kåre Willoch who was a member of Borten's Cabinet. Syse served on the Judiciary, Administration, Finance, extended Foreign Affairs and Constitution, and Constitutional committees throughout his parliamentary career. He was also sent as a parliamentary delegate to the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; , UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing g ...

, and other international bodies. Syse was State Secretary to the

Ministry 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 ...

from 1 November 1970 to 17 March 1971 in the non-Socialist coalition government led by

Per Borten (3 April 1913 – 20 January 2005) was a Norway, Norwegian politician from the Centre Party (Norway), Centre Party and the prime minister of Norway from 1965 to 1971. Per Borten is credited for leading the modernization of what was then named Bo ...

. He was Minister of Industry in the second cabinet Willoch from 16 September 1983 to 4 October 1985, and

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

with the Syse Cabinet from 16 October 1989 to 3 November 1990.

Political legacy

Syse was well liked and respected among political allies and adversaries alike. He worked for cooperation within the Nordic region and also to strengthen the cooperation with the

Baltic states The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

, although he opposed their wish to join the Nordic council."Nordisk råd forblir nordisk" he Nordic Council remains Nordic ''

Norwegian News Agency The Norwegian News Agency (; abbreviated NTB) is a Norwegian press agency and wire service that serves most of the largest Norwegian media outlets. The agency is located in Oslo and has bureaus in Brussels in Belgium and Tromsø in northern Norw ...

'', 28 August 1991 His sons Christian Syse and Henrik Syse published ''Ta ikke den ironiske tonen - tanker og taler av Jan P. Syse'' (Oslo, Forlaget Press, 2003), a book that describes Syse's speeches and style.

References

Other sources

*Borgen, Per Otto (1999) ''Norges statsministre'' (Oslo: Aschehoug)

External links

*
Interview with Else Syse
'' Vi over 60''
Obituary issued by Høyre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Syse, Jan P. 1930 births 1997 deaths Norwegian state secretaries Government ministers of Norway Prime ministers of Norway Politicians from Oslo University of Oslo alumni Leaders of the Conservative Party (Norway) People from Nøtterøy Ministers of trade and shipping of Norway Members of the Storting 1993–1997 Members of the Storting 1989–1993 Members of the Storting 1985–1989 Members of the Storting 1981–1985 Members of the Storting 1977–1981 Members of the Storting 1973–1977 Members of the Storting 1969–1973