Erik Himle is a Norwegian

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...

 civil servant and politician for the Labour Party

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....

.

Himle graduated with the cand.oecon.

Cand.oecon.

Candidatus oeconomices or Candidata oeconomices , often abbreviated cand.oecon. is an academic degree in economics at Danish and Norwegian universities. It is roughly equivalent to a Master of Economics, but it consists of 4+2 years, and was based on a four year cand.mag.. The degree was replaced...

 degree in 1948, and from the Nato Defence College in 1957. He was never elected as a politician, but worked himself upwards as a civil servant in Norwegian government ministries.

During the third cabinet Gerhardsen

Third cabinet Gerhardsen

Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet governed Norway between 22 January 1955 and 28 August 1963. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Einar Gerhardsen. It had the following composition:-Cabinet members:-State Secretaries:-References:* - Regjeringen.no...

 he became state secretary to the Minister of Defense 1958-1961 and to the Minister of Transport 1962-1963. In the fourth cabinet Gerhardsen

Fourth cabinet Gerhardsen

Gerhardsen's Fourth Cabinet governed Norway between 25 September 1963 and 12 October 1965. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Einar Gerhardsen. It had the following composition:-Cabinet members:-State Secretaries:-References:* - Regjeringen.no...

 he was appointed Minister of Trade and Shipping 1963-1964 and Minister of Transport 1964-1965. His last period as a state secretary was in the Office of the Prime Minister

Norwegian Office of the Prime Minister

The Norwegian Office of the Prime Minister is a political and bureaucratic office that assists the Cabinet of Norway and the Prime Minister of Norway in the leadership of the Cabinet and Government. It has since 2005 been led by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg . Minister and Chief of Staff is Karl...

 during the first cabinet Bratteli

First cabinet Bratteli

The Bratteli's First Cabinet governed Norway between 17 March 1971 and 18 October 1972. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Trygve Bratteli.On 8 May 1972 there was a cabinet reshuffle...

 from 1971 to 1972. He continued as the permanent under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence 1967-1971 and 1973-1978 and in the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy 1978-1988.

He was born in Fana

Fana

Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.-History:Prior to 1972, Fana was an independent municipality which territory also included today's boroughs of Ytrebygda, Fyllingsdalen, and the southernmost part of Årstad.-Geography:...

, and eventually settled in Nesbru. He died there in 2008.