Rolf Thommessen (22 July 1879 – 9 December 1939) was a Norwegian journalist, newspaper editor and politician. He edited the newspaper '' Tidens Tegn'' from 1917 to 1938. He was a member of 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 ...

from 1928 to 1930, representing the

Liberal Left Party The Free-minded Liberal Party ( no, Frisinnede Venstre) was a political party in Norway founded in 1909 by the conservative-liberal faction of the Liberal Party. The party cooperated closely with the Conservative Party and participated in seve ...

( no, Frisinnede Venstre).

Personal life

Rolf Thommessen was born in Kristiania as the son of newspaper editor

Ola Thommessen Ola Thommessen (23 September 1851 – 10 February 1942) was a Norwegian newspaper editor. He was the long-time editor of ''Verdens Gang'' and ''Tidens Tegn''. Early and personal life Olaus Anthon Thommessen Holtan was born in Borre as the s ...

(1851–1942) and his wife Helga Mathæa Clausen (1854–1931). He was a first cousin of

Øystein Thommessen Øystein Thommessen (31 October 1890 – 1986) was a Norwegian lawyer. He was born in Kristiania as a son of Jakob Peter Thommessen and Maja Johannessen. He was a nephew of Ola Thommessen and a first cousin of Rolf Thommessen. In April 1924 in Kris ...

and a granduncle of musician Olav Anton Thommessen. He was married to Anne Dobloug, daughter of Mikkel Dobloug, between 1900 and 1938. He lived in Sandvika and Evje most of his life, and in Risør for a period before his death. He died in Oslo in 1939. For some time he owned the sailing yacht '' Wyvern'' (launched in 1897), which he renamed ''Havfruen'' ("the mermaid").

Professional career

Art historian

Thommessen finished his secondary education in 1897. He then studied art history in Kristiania, under Lorentz Dietrichson, and at the British Museum and in Paris and Berlin. He worked as an art critic for the newspaper edited by his father, '' Verdens Gang'', from 1901 to 1910. He received the

dr.philos. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

degree from the University of Kristiania in 1908, with the thesis ''Kunstneren i den græske kunst'', about Greek art. He issued several books on art history, and worked as an assistant at the Museum of History from 1908 to 1910 and as a research fellow at the university from 1909 to 1910.

Newspaper editor

When Thommessen's father founded the newspaper '' Tidens Tegn'' in 1910, Thommessen joined as editorial secretary, as co-editor from 1915, and took over as editor-in-chief from 1917. He edited the newspaper until 1938, and was also chairman of the board. ''Tidens Tegn'' was one of the largest newspapers in Norway in the 1920s, with many influential contributors. Due to the political developments, however, ''Tidens Tegn'' lost its popularity during the 1930s. In 1938 Thommessen was forced to resign as editor, and sell his shares.

Politics and organisations

Thommessen chaired ''Norsk Luftseiladsforening'' from 1925 to 1926, and was an important supporter of Roald Amundsen's polar expeditions. He was also a board member of the National Gallery of Norway from 1904 to 1908, and of the

Norwegian Press Association The Norwegian Press Association ( no, Norsk Presseforbund, NP) is Norwegian association established in 1910, for press people with journalism as their main profession. Among its members are the Norwegian Union of Journalists, the Association of ...

from 1910 to 1918. He was elected to the

in 1927, representing the constituency

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

and the

. He was vice mayor of Bærum from 1929 to 1931. From 1933 he chaired his party, but the Liberal Left Party soon faded away. He was decorated with the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. A road in Evje in Bærum was named after him in 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thommessen, Rolf 1879 births 1939 deaths Writers from Oslo Norwegian art historians University of Oslo alumni Norwegian newspaper editors Members of the Storting Free-minded Liberal Party politicians 20th-century Norwegian politicians Bærum politicians