Sigurd Segelcke Meidell (20 February 1878 – 26 July 1968) was a Norwegian journalist, genealogist and novelist.

Biography

He was born in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

as a son of sea captain Hartvig Segelcke Meidell (1834–1902) and Malin Gohde (1847–1895). His father's family hailed from

Kvinnherad Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county. The administrative centre of the ...

, and his mother's family was Swedish. He was the brother of Fascist politician

Birger Meidell Birger Øivind Meidell (4 February 1882 – 29 January 1958) was a professor and a member of The Norwegian Science Academy who served two posts in the fascist NS government of Vidkun Quisling first as Church and Educational Minister and then a ...

. In August 1908 he married Nunne Thorbjørnsen (1885–1949). Meidell grew up in

Hamar Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake ...

. He finished his secondary education in 1898, enrolled in law studies 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 1905. From 1906 to 1908 he was a foreign affairs journalist and theatre critic in the newspaper ''

Morgenbladet ''Morgenbladet'' is a Norwegian weekly, newspaper, covering politics, culture and science. History ''Morgenbladet'' was founded in 1819 by the book printer Niels Wulfsberg. The paper is the country's first daily newspaper; however, Adresseav ...

''. He also worked as the

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 ...

city correspondent of ''

Bergens Aftenblad ''Bergens Aftenblad'' was a Norwegian daily newspaper, published in Bergen, Norway from 1880 to 1942. It supported the Conservative Party. History and profile The paper was started in 1880, and absorbed the long-running '' Bergens Adressecontoirs ...

'' and '' Trondhjems Adresseavis''. In 1908 he co-founded and edited the sports magazine ''Sport''. In 1926 he was among the founders of the Norwegian Genealogical Society, together with

Stian Herlofsen Finne-Grønn Stian Herlofsen Finne-Grønn (31 August 1869 – 1 November 1963) was a Norwegian lawyer, archivist, genealogist and museum director. Biography He was born in the town of Risør in Aust-Agder, Norway. He was the son of engineer Samuel Grønn ( ...

and

Christopher Morgenstierne Munthe Christopher Morgenstierne Munthe 14 July 1875 – 21 December 1939) was a Norwegian civil servant, military officer and genealogist. Biography He was a born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of colonel and historian Hartvig Andreas ...

, among others. This was Norway's first national genealogical society. He was the chairman of the organization from 1940 to 1943, taking over from

Halvdan Koht Halvdan Koht (7 July 1873 – 12 December 1965) was a Norwegian historian and politician representing the Labour Party. Born in the north of Norway to a fairly distinguished family, he soon became interested in politics and history. Sta ...

who went into exile following the

German invasion of Norway German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

on 9 April 1940. On the very same day, his brother was named as Minister of Church and Education in the

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (, ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally headed the government of Norway during the country's occupation by Nazi Germ ...

government that attempted a coup d'etat. Meidell left the chair in 1943. He was also a member of the board of the

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), at Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway, is a museum of cultural history with extensive collections of artifacts from all social groups and all regions of the country. It also incorporates a large open ...

and Landslaget for By- og Bygdehistorie. From 1941 he tried his luck as a novelist, under the pseudonym Arne Vaagen. He published eight novels in all, and the first three enjoyed some popularity. In 1956 he published his memoirs, ''Møte med livet''. He was also an editorial committee member of ''

Norsk biografisk leksikon is the largest Norwegian biographical encyclopedia. The first edition (NBL1) was issued between 1921 and 1983, including 19 volumes and 5,100 articles. It was published by Aschehoug with economic support from the state. bought the rights to ...

''. In 1956, Meidell was decorated as a Knight, First Class 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 ...

and 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 ...

in gold. He was also a Knight of the Danish

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 ...

and Commander of the Finnish

Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. T ...

. He died in July 1968 in Oslo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meidell, Sigurd Segelcke 1878 births 1968 deaths People from Hamar Norwegian people of Swedish descent Norwegian journalists Norwegian magazine editors Norwegian genealogists 20th-century Norwegian novelists Norwegian memoirists Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold