Leif Sundt Rode (27 January 1885 – 2 November 1967) was a Norwegian competitive rower, jurist, sports official, poet and playwright.

Personal life

Rode was born in

Kristiania 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 i ...

as the son of physician Emil Ferdinand Rode (1825–1921) and Ragna Louise Drejer Sundt (1857–1909). He was a maternal grandson of

Lauritz Sundt Johan Lauritz Sundt (14 April 1828 – 25 January 1889) was a Norwegian industrialist. Sundt was born in Fredriksvern, and was a nephew of Eilert Sundt. He founded the matchstick factory ''Nitedals Tændstikfabrik'' in 1862, and co-found ...

, and thus a great-grandnephew of

Eilert Sundt Eilert Lund Sundt (8 August 1817 – 13 June 1875) was a Norwegian theologist and sociologist, known for his work on mortality, marriage and other subjects among the working class. He was an early pioneer of the field of sociology in Norway. Ea ...

and first cousin once removed of

Harald Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardra ...

Halfdan Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings w ...

and

Vigleik Sundt Vigleik Trygve Sundt (12 August 1873 – 23 August 1948) was a Norwegian attorney, genealogist and politician for the Liberal Party. Personal life He was born in Farsund as a son of consul Peter Ingvard Sundt (1841–1917) and his wife Anna Chr ...

. He married Anna Sundt Bøckmann Puntervold Falkenberg, a maternal granddaughter of Tønnes Puntervold, in 1911. He died in Oslo in November 1967.

Career

Rode finished his secondary education in 1903, and graduated with the

cand.jur. Candidate of Law (Latin: ''candidatus/candidata juris/iuris'') is both a graduate law degree awarded to law students in the Nordic region as well as an academic status designation for advanced Law School students in German-speaking countries. No ...

degree in 1908. While a student he joined the sports club

Norske Studenters RK Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

. He became a competitive

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

, and competed in

coxed fours A coxed four, also known as a 4+, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one o ...

at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

in Stockholm. At the end of his active career he served as a sports administrator, as chairman of his club from 1913, and board member of the National rowing federation from 1914. He was president of from 1918 to 1919, and of from 1925 to 1930. He chaired the

Association for the Promotion of Skiing The Association for the Promotion of Skiing ( no, Foreningen til Ski-idrettens Fremme, or Skiforeningen) is a large association in Norway promoting Nordic skiing and other outdoor recreational activities. Skiforeningen was founded in 1883 and has ...

from 1951 to 1953. He was a barrister at the

Eidsivating Court of Appeal The Eidsivating Court of Appeal ( no, Eidsivating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Hamar. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Innlandet and eastern Viken. Thes ...

from 1933 to 1945. During the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 193 ...

, in his role as a barrister, he appeared at the defence in German

courts-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

. He contributed to the civil resistance through the establishment of the "sports front". After the war he took part as defender in the legal purge, and was a barrister at the

Supreme Court of Norway The Supreme Court of Norway ( Norwegian Bokmål: ''(Norges) Høyesterett''; Norwegian Nynorsk: ''(Noregs) Høgsterett''; lit. ‘Highest Court’) was established in 1815 on the basis of section 88 in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway ...

from 1945 to 1955. Rode published a song book in 1928, the poetry collection ''Men det steg en grotid'' in 1945, and the non-fiction book ''Forsvareren i praksis'' in 1949. His audio play ''Bevisbyrden'' was aired in 1950.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rode, Leif 1885 births 1967 deaths 20th-century Norwegian lawyers Norwegian male rowers Rowers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers for Norway Norwegian sports executives and administrators Norwegian resistance members Personnel of the legal purge in Norway 20th-century Norwegian poets Norwegian male poets Norwegian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Norwegian male writers