Rolf Stranger (15 January 1891 – 18 June 1990) was a Norwegian businessman and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

for the Conservative Party who served as Mayor of Oslo.

Biography

Rolf Stranger 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 ...

. He was the son of Anund Hanssen (1847–1931) and Hilda Theodora Jørgensen (1849–1910). He attended St. Hans Haugen school graduating

artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

in 190. He studied at

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top univers ...

graduating

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 ...

in 1914. After graduation, he joined the family business Hanssen & Bergh A / S, where he was manager from 1917 to 1953. The company was a wholesaler and clothing manufacturer . During the

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany 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 ...

, he was imprisoned in Bredtveit concentration camp from November 1943 to May 1944. Stranger was a long-time member of the Oslo City Council serving from 1926–67. He served as Mayor of Oslo in the periods 1940–1941, 1945, 1955–1959 and 1962–1963. He represented Oslo in the

Parliament of Norway 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 bas ...

in 1945 and was re-elected on one occasion. He had previously served in the position of deputy representative during the terms 1931–1933, 1934–1936 and 1937–1945.

Cultural and civic activities

Stranger maintained a strong interest in various cultural and civic activities throughout his lengthy career. His was active in film, theater, music and art. From 1924 to 1971, he served as chairman of the Norwegian Trade Fair (''Norges Varemesse''). He was chairman of the

Oslo Nye Teater Oslo Nye Teater is a theater located in Oslo, Norway. The theater has its main stage in its own theater house at Rosenkrantz' gate 10. It is one of Norway's most visited theatres. Oslo Nye Teater AS is wholly owned by Oslo Municipality. His ...

during the period 1959–84. In 1982, he established an endowment, Rolf Strangers kulturfon, which finances scientific research in Oslo's cultural history. In 1987, he produced his autobiograph
''Mitt hjertes Oslo''
(Oslo: Aschehoug, 1987. ). In his honor, the eastern part of

Rådhusplassen Rådhusplassen ("The City Hall Square") is a square located between Oslo City Hall and the Oslofjord in Vika, Oslo, Norway. Previously used as a road and part of European route E18, it has since 1994 served as a recreational area. North of the squa ...

in Oslo was named ''Rolf Strangers plass'' during 1998.

Honours and awards

Among his other honors, Stranger was awarded the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

(''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') in gold in 1957 and the Medal of St. Hallvard in 1960. He was made a Knight Grand Officer of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

in 1965 and holder of Norwegian Commercial Association decorations in gold. He was made a Commander of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was ...

(Sweden) and of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

(Denmark). In 1961, he was awarded the Petter Dass Medal (''Petter Dass -medaljen'') for his active efforts in the reconstruction of the Northern Norwegian Student Foundation (''Nordnorsk Student- og Elevhjem'').''Tidligere mottakere av St. Hallvard-medaljen'' (Oslo kommune)
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Foreign honours

* : Grand Officer of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria * : Knight Commander of the

Order of Leopold I The Order of Leopold ( nl, Leopoldsorde, french: Ordre de Léopold, ) is one of the three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the oldest and highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of its founder, King Le ...

* : Commander of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...

* : Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honour * : Commander of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the ...

* : Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-rankin ...

* : Recipient of the

Medal for Merit The Medal for Merit was, during the period it was awarded, the highest civilian decoration of the United States. It was awarded by the President of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct i ...

* : Knight Grand Officer of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

* : Knight Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown * : Grand Officer of the Order of the Republic

References

Other sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stranger, Rolf 1891 births 1990 deaths University of Oslo alumni Norwegian resistance members Bredtveit concentration camp survivors Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Members of the Storting Mayors of Oslo Commanders of the Order of Vasa Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Commanders of the Order of the Lion of Finland Commander's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil) Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Commanders by Number of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Recipients of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria 20th-century Norwegian politicians