Robert Rafn (27 February 1878 – 1964) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician for the Conservative Party. He was born in Porsgrund as a son of shipmaster Hans Christian Rafn (1833–1899) and Hanna Annette Halvorsen (1847–1939). He took technical education in Norway in 1895, and graduated in 1898 from Technicum Mittweida. From 1899 to 1905 he worked as an assistant of

Thomas A. Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange (known simply as Orange) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 34,447, an increase o ...

. He later worked as a chemist at a works in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

before running his own company named Irradiar in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

until 1915. He returned to Norway and settled in

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

. He was a manager at Moss Melkefabrik from 1916 to 1924 and technical director at Moss Aktiemølle from 1925 to 1945. He was also a supervisory council member of Hafslund. After 1945 he worked as a consultant. From 1925 to 1931 he was a member of the executive committee of Moss city council. He chaired the local party chapter from 1934 to 1937. In the

1936 Norwegian parliamentary election Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

he was elected to the

Parliament of Norway 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 ...

from the

Market towns of Østfold and Akershus counties The Market towns of Østfold and Akershus counties () was an electoral district for parliamentary elections in Norway. It comprised the market towns () of Fredrikstad, Halden (until 1928 named Fredrikshald), Moss and Sarpsborg in Østfold county an ...

. Absent for most of 1938 and 1939, Rafn's seat was filled by Carl Sigurd Winther and

Ragnhild Rød Ragnhild Rød, née Ragnhild Gunnerson Welhaven (22 August 1884 – 22 October 1967) was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. She was born in Kristiania as a son of clergyman Sven Rudolf Gunnerson (1844–1904) and Elise Margrethe ...

. Rafn married a daughter of

Jørgen Christian Knudsen Jørgen Christian Knudsen (5 January
in ''Porsgrunds udvikling 1860-1900'', by A. L. Coll. Hosted by Porsgrunn public ...

, who was himself a brother of

Gunnar Knudsen Gunnar Knudsen (19 September 1848 – 1 December 1928), born Aanon Gunerius Knudsen, was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party who served as the prime minister of Norway twice from 1908 to 1910 and from 1913 to 1920. He also inherited a s ...

and son of

Christen Knudsen Christen Knudsen (25 January 1813 - 7 April 1888) was a Norwegian ship-owner.Frednesall� ...

. Rafn was a brother-in-law of Finn Christian Knudsen and Christen Knudsen, Jr. He died in 1964 and is buried in Porsgrunn.

References

1878 births 1964 deaths Politicians from Porsgrunn People from Moss, Norway Norwegian expatriates in Germany Norwegian expatriates in the United States Norwegian company founders Østfold politicians Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Members of the Storting 1936–1945 {{Norway-politician-1870s-stub