Eivind Reiersen
Encyclopedia
Eivind Reiersen was a Norwegian
newspaper editor and politician for the Labour
and Communist
parties. He served one term as an MP, was deputy mayor of Skien
, and edited the newspapers Fremover
, Ny Dag
, Bratsberg-Demokraten
(a.k.a. Folkets Dagblad), Telemark Arbeiderblad, Telemark Kommunistblad and Rjukan Arbeiderblad.
as a son of crofters Reier Eivindsen (1853–1933) and Gunhild Olsdatter (1853–1900). He worked as a farm and forest labourer from 1889 to 1895, construction site labourer from 1895 to 1898 and at a paper factory from 1898 to 1911. He joined the Labour Party in 1899, and was a member of Solum
municipal council from 1907 to 1913, serving since 1910 as deputy mayor. He chaired the county branch of the Labour Party in Bratsberg Amt
from 1908 to 1913.
In 1911 he left manual labour as he became a secretary in the Norwegian Union of General Workers
. In 1913 he was hired as editor-in-chief of the newspaper Fremover
. He became the first chairman of Bodø
Labour Party in 1914, and remained so until 1915. He was a national board member of the Labour Party from 1915 to 1921, and county leader of the Labour Party in Telemark
from 1922 to 1923. From 1916 to 1919 he edited the newspaper Ny Dag
, and from 1919 Bratsberg-Demokraten
. In January 1921 his newspaper was merged to become Folkets Dagblad. After editing Folkets Dagblad for some time, Reiersen went on to the new, more radical newspaper Telemark Arbeiderblad in the same year.
Reiersen stood for general election in 1918
in the constituency Lillehammer og Gjøvik. He managed to carry the votes in Gjøvik with 620 votes against Ellef Marcussen's 597. Marcussen, however, hailed from Lillehammer
and carried the votes there, winning comfortably with 1,817 votes in total against Reiersen's 1,381. Reiersen was later elected to the Parliament of Norway in 1921
from the constituency Market towns of Telemark and Aust-Agder counties
. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Customs. He served one term, and the change of party allegiance to Communist came during this term. He was also a member of the executive committee of Skien city council from 1922, and served as deputy mayor from 1925 to 1926.
. Reiersen served as county leader for the Communist Party until 1925. He headed their ballot for the 1924
and 1927 elections
, but was not re-elected.
He edited Ny Dag for a second period in 1924. He then edited Telemark Kommunistblad, as Bratsberg-Demokraten now was named, from 1925 to 1928. He was then the manager in Trondheim
from 1928 to 1930. In 1930 he was excluded from the Communist Party, and he eventually rejoined the Labour Party.
Reiersen was occupied from 1933 to 1934 with writing biographies for the workers' encyclopedia Arbeidernes Leksikon
. He had earlier written both non-fiction as well as short stories. Many short stories were printed in newspapers, and a short stories collection named Kamp ("Struggle") was released in 1917. In 1940 he served as editor of Rjukan Arbeiderblad for nine months before the newspaper was shut down during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
. He was also imprisoned in Møllergata 19
from 22 January to 8 February 1945, then in Grini concentration camp until May 1945 when the war ended.
He was married to Amanda "Manda" Reiersen, who was active in the labour movement as well. He died in September 1947.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
newspaper editor and politician for the Labour
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
and Communist
Communist Party of Norway
The Communist Party of Norway is a political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. It was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. The party played an important role in the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War, and experienced a brief...
parties. He served one term as an MP, was deputy mayor of Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
, and edited the newspapers Fremover
Fremover
Fremover is a regional newspaper published in Narvik, Norway. It has been published for more than 100 years, having been founded on May 27, 1903....
, Ny Dag
Ny Dag (Norwegian newspaper)
Ny Dag was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Gjøvik in Oppland county.Ny Dag was started in June 1913 as a Labour Party newspaper. It had no editor-in-chief right from the start, but an editorial committee. Eivind Reiersen was the editor from 1916 to 1919...
, Bratsberg-Demokraten
Bratsberg-Demokraten
Bratsberg-Demokraten was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Skien in Telemark county. From 1924 to 1929 it was named Telemark Kommunistblad....
(a.k.a. Folkets Dagblad), Telemark Arbeiderblad, Telemark Kommunistblad and Rjukan Arbeiderblad.
Labour Party career
He was born at Ringsevju in Nes in SauheradSauherad
Sauherad is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Akkerhaugen...
as a son of crofters Reier Eivindsen (1853–1933) and Gunhild Olsdatter (1853–1900). He worked as a farm and forest labourer from 1889 to 1895, construction site labourer from 1895 to 1898 and at a paper factory from 1898 to 1911. He joined the Labour Party in 1899, and was a member of Solum
Solum, Norway
Solum is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Solum was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 3,557. Solum is located west of the city Skien, and encompassed districts such as Nenset, Tollnes,...
municipal council from 1907 to 1913, serving since 1910 as deputy mayor. He chaired the county branch of the Labour Party in Bratsberg Amt
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
from 1908 to 1913.
In 1911 he left manual labour as he became a secretary in the Norwegian Union of General Workers
Norwegian Union of General Workers
-External links:* official site....
. In 1913 he was hired as editor-in-chief of the newspaper Fremover
Fremover
Fremover is a regional newspaper published in Narvik, Norway. It has been published for more than 100 years, having been founded on May 27, 1903....
. He became the first chairman of Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
Labour Party in 1914, and remained so until 1915. He was a national board member of the Labour Party from 1915 to 1921, and county leader of the Labour Party in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
from 1922 to 1923. From 1916 to 1919 he edited the newspaper Ny Dag
Ny Dag (Norwegian newspaper)
Ny Dag was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Gjøvik in Oppland county.Ny Dag was started in June 1913 as a Labour Party newspaper. It had no editor-in-chief right from the start, but an editorial committee. Eivind Reiersen was the editor from 1916 to 1919...
, and from 1919 Bratsberg-Demokraten
Bratsberg-Demokraten
Bratsberg-Demokraten was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Skien in Telemark county. From 1924 to 1929 it was named Telemark Kommunistblad....
. In January 1921 his newspaper was merged to become Folkets Dagblad. After editing Folkets Dagblad for some time, Reiersen went on to the new, more radical newspaper Telemark Arbeiderblad in the same year.
Reiersen stood for general election in 1918
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1918
-Results: Liberal Left Party is part of coalition with Conservative Party-References:**...
in the constituency Lillehammer og Gjøvik. He managed to carry the votes in Gjøvik with 620 votes against Ellef Marcussen's 597. Marcussen, however, hailed from Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
and carried the votes there, winning comfortably with 1,817 votes in total against Reiersen's 1,381. Reiersen was later elected to the Parliament of Norway in 1921
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1921
-Results:-References:*...
from the constituency Market towns of Telemark and Aust-Agder counties
Market towns of Telemark and Aust-Agder counties
The Market towns of Telemark and Aust-Agder counties was an electoral district for parliamentary elections in Norway. It comprised the market towns of Brevik, Kragerø, Notodden, Porsgrunn and Skien in Telemark county and Arendal, Grimstad and Risør in Aust-Agder county.The district was...
. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Customs. He served one term, and the change of party allegiance to Communist came during this term. He was also a member of the executive committee of Skien city council from 1922, and served as deputy mayor from 1925 to 1926.
Communist Party and back to Labour Party
In 1923 Reiersen defected from the Labour Party, joining the newly formed Communist PartyCommunist Party of Norway
The Communist Party of Norway is a political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. It was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. The party played an important role in the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War, and experienced a brief...
. Reiersen served as county leader for the Communist Party until 1925. He headed their ballot for the 1924
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1924
-Results:-References:*...
and 1927 elections
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1927
-Results:-References:*...
, but was not re-elected.
He edited Ny Dag for a second period in 1924. He then edited Telemark Kommunistblad, as Bratsberg-Demokraten now was named, from 1925 to 1928. He was then the manager in Trondheim
Ny Tid (Trondheim)
Ny Tid was a Norwegian newspaper established in 1899 by the typographers Joh. Halseth and Alf Scheflo at the same time as they established their own printing office in Trondheim. The publishers meant to create a worker's newspaper, not a socialist paper...
from 1928 to 1930. In 1930 he was excluded from the Communist Party, and he eventually rejoined the Labour Party.
Reiersen was occupied from 1933 to 1934 with writing biographies for the workers' encyclopedia Arbeidernes Leksikon
Arbeidernes Leksikon
Arbeidernes Leksikon is a Norwegian encyclopedia published in six volumes in the 1930s.It was the first reference book in Norwegian to have a pronounced class bias, and the first encyclopedia outside of the Soviet Union to be directed specifically at the working class...
. He had earlier written both non-fiction as well as short stories. Many short stories were printed in newspapers, and a short stories collection named Kamp ("Struggle") was released in 1917. In 1940 he served as editor of Rjukan Arbeiderblad for nine months before the newspaper was shut down during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
. He was also imprisoned in Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here...
from 22 January to 8 February 1945, then in Grini concentration camp until May 1945 when the war ended.
He was married to Amanda "Manda" Reiersen, who was active in the labour movement as well. He died in September 1947.