Ansgar Gabrielsen was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party

Conservative Party of Norway

The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...

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He was born in Mandal. He is an insurance agent by education and worked in this profession before entering politics. He is also a trained officer in the Norwegian Defence Force

Norwegian Defence Force

The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...

. He was a member of Lindesnes

Lindesnes

Lindesnes is a municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway. Lindesnes was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the older municipalities of Spangereid, Sør-Audnedal, and Vigmostad....

 municipal council from 1983 to 1993, the last six years as mayor. His father Terje Gabrielsen has also been mayor of Lindesnes, from 1975 to 1979. Ansgar Gabrielsen also chaired his county party chapter from 1989 to 1990, and was a member of the Conservative Party central board during the same period.

He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Vest-Agder

Vest-Agder

In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...

 in 1993

Norwegian parliamentary election, 1993

A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 13 September 1993. The Labour Party won a plurality of seats, and Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland remained in office. The Centre Party was particularly successful, gaining 21 seats....

, and was re-elected on the two following occasions in 1997

Norwegian parliamentary election, 1997

A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 15 September 1997. Before the election, Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labour Party, issued the 36.9 ultimatum declaring that the government would step down unless it gained 36.9% of the vote, the percentage gained...

 and 2001

Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001

A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on September 10, 2001. The Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party...

. In 2001 Gabrielsen was appointed Minister of Trade and Industry as a part of Bondevik's Second Cabinet. Following the cabinet reshuffle in 2004 he became Minister of Health and Care Services

Minister of Health and Care Services (Norway)

The Norwegian Minister of Health and Care Services is the head of the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services. The position has existed since 1 January 2002, when the Ministry of Health was created...

. While Gabrielsen was a cabinet member his seat in parliament was taken by Peter Skovholt Gitmark

Peter Skovholt Gitmark

Peter Skovholt Gitmark is a Norwegian politician representing the Conservative Party. He is currently a representative of Vest-Agder in the Storting, first elected in 2005...

. Bondevik's Second Cabinet fell following the 2005 election

Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005

Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. More than 3.4 million Norwegians were eligible for vote for the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The new Storting has 169 members, an increase of four over the 2001 election....

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While Minister of Trade and Industry, Gabrielsen was first criticized for his suggestion about a law that requires 40% of the board members in Norwegian companies to be female. The law was passed with the blessing of the socialist parties, but his own party opposed it.

Gabrielsen started his own consultant company in 2006. In 2007

Norwegian local elections, 2007

Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on September 10, 2007, with some areas polling on September 9 as well. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently...

 he was again elected to Lindesnes municipal council, but had to relinquish the seat after moving to Oslo. In the same year he became chairman of the Special Olympics and the Norwegian Council for Mental Health

Norwegian Council for Mental Health

The Norwegian Council for Mental Health It was established in 1985 to help people with mental problems. It has 25 member bodies, among others universities and other humanitarian organisations. It issues the magazine Psykisk helse. Chairman of the board is Ansgar Gabrielsen, and the organizational...

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Gabrielsen was decorated as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 2005. He is married and has four children.