Lars Samuel Myhrer Evensen (12 November 1896 – 19 January 1969) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician. He belonged to the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

in the 1920s, but later joined the Labour Party. He was also deputy chairman of the

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions ( no, Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national unions ...

. After the Second World War he served for many years as

Minister of Industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the min ...

Biography

Evensen was born in

Drøbak Drøbak is a town and the centre of the municipality of Frogn, in Viken county, Norway. The city is located along the Oslofjord, and has 13,409 inhabitants. History Drøbak and Frogn was established as a parish on its own through a royal decree ...

as the son of

smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people w ...

master Samuel Anton Evensen (1858-1943) and his wife Laura Myhrer (1864-1931). He worked as a sausage maker from 1914 to 1924, and became involved in his corresponding

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

from 1920. He also entered local politics, as a member of

Lørenskog is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. A suburb of Oslo, it is part of the Oslo urban area and the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lørenskog. Lørenskog was sepa ...

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...

from 1922 to 1928. He became a high-ranked member of the

, which was formed in 1923 by a split from the Labour Party. He served as party secretary from 1925 to 1927, and from 1925 to 1928 he was a member of its central committee. He chaired the regional chapter in Oslo and Akershus from 1926 to 1927. From 1925, he was also a member of the council () of the Confederation of Trade Unions. From 1927 to 1934 he chaired his trade union, the

Norwegian Union of Meat Industry Workers The Norwegian Union of Meat Industry Workers ( no, Norsk Kjøttindustriarbeiderforbund, NKIF) was a trade union representing workers in abattoirs and butchers in Norway. The union was founded in 1907, and it affiliated to the Norwegian Confederatio ...

. He was among the founders of the sports club in 1930 and the temperance group in 1932. Evensen eventually joined the Labour Party, and was a board member of the local party chapter in Oslo in 1932. At the same time he rose in the hierarchy of the Confederation of Trade Unions to become secretary from 1934 to 1939, and deputy chairman from 1939 to 1945—from 1940 in exile. From 1940 to 1945, during the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

, Evensen was a member of the

Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance ( Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled governmen ...

(''Hjemmefronten'') and worked at the Norwegian legation in Stockholm. He also chaired the Stockholm-based secretariat of the Confederation of Trade Unions from 1941 to 1945. After the liberation of Norway, he was selected as Minister of Trade in 1945 during the first cabinet Gerhardsen. He continued in the position after the free general election of 1945, serving as a member of the

second cabinet Gerhardsen Gerhardsen's Second Cabinet governed Norway between 5 November 1945 and 19 November 1951. The Labour Party (Ap) cabinet was led by Einar Gerhardsen. In May 1948, Gerhardsen told Jens Chr Hauge, that he was considering resigning.Njølstad p. ...

and the

cabinet Torp Torp's Cabinet governed Norway between 19 November 1951 and 22 January 1955. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Oscar Torp. The cabinet was succeeded by Einar Gerhardsen's third cabinet after the Labour Party wanted to swap prime minister. Ca ...

from 1945 to May 1953 and September 1953 to November 1953. The position was renamed Minister of Industry in 1947. For some months in 1951

Arne Drogseth Arne Gulbrand Drogseth (5 January 1893 – 11 February 1973) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. Drogseth started his national political career as a deputy member of the Parliament of Norway in the period 1937–45. He served as pr ...

was acting Minister of Industry, and Erik Brofoss filled the position from May to September 1953. In 1954, he was elected to the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) 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 base ...

from

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 of ...

, and sat through one term. During this term, he chaired the Standing Committee on Forestry, Water Resources and Industry. His career in politics ended with the post of County Governor of Vest-Agder, which he held from 1954 to 1966. He succeeded Alf Frydenberg, who had been appointed County Governor of Hedmark.Norwegian Counties
— World Statesmen.org From 1957 to 1966, he was also a member of the board of Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. In 1968, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Saint Olav. Evensen died at

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, f ...

and was buried at

Vestre Gravlund Vestre Gravlund is a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located next to the Borgen metro station. At , it is the largest cemetery in Norway. It was inaugurated in September 1902 and also contains a crematorium (''Vestre kre ...

in Oslo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evensen, Lars 1896 births 1969 deaths Communist Party of Norway politicians Labour Party (Norway) politicians Norwegian trade unionists Norwegian resistance members Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Government ministers of Norway Members of the Storting People from Frogn Politicians from Oslo Akershus politicians County governors of Norway Norwegian temperance activists 20th-century Norwegian politicians Burials at Vestre gravlund Ministers of Trade and Shipping of Norway