Ingvald Smith-Kielland
Encyclopedia
Ingvald Marillus Emil Smith-Kielland (9 August 1890 – 29 January 1984) was a Norwegian military officer, diplomat, sports official and royal servant.
He was born in Egge
as the son of Colonel Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland
(1863–1949) and Ragnhild Johanne Duborgh (1869–1961). He was a brother of painter Per Smith-Kielland
. Through his grandmother Maren Elisabeth Bull Kielland (1821–1899), he was a first cousin once removed of people like Alexander Kielland
.
He finished his secondary education in 1908, and graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy
in 1911 and the Norwegian Military College
in 1913. After some years in the military he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in 1920, where he helped to negotiate Norwegian fishing rights near Eastern Greenland ("Erik the Red's Land
"). He also negotiated with Spain and Portugal when these wine-exporting countries complained about the prohibition in Norway, in effect since the prohibition referendum of 1919
. The temperance movement
had won the referendum; and Smith-Kielland had been a part of this movement, but he withdrew due to the diffucult situation for Norway. Somewhat due to the pressure of Spain and Portugal, the prohibition was lifted after a new referendum in 1926
.
Also, before World War II, Smith-Kielland was a sports official. He was the secretary-general of the International Ski Federation
from 1933 to 1936 and chaired the Norwegian Skiing Federation from 1934 to 1936. He also oversaw the Norwegian delegations to the 1920 Summer Olympics
and the 1928
and 1932 Winter Olympics
. In 1918 he married Elisabeth Hesselberg-Meyer (1897–1982), daughter of a landowner.
From 1929 to 1938, Smith-Kielland was a subdirector in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He then worked as counsellor of the Norwegian legation in London from 1938 to 1941 and 1943 to 1944, and as military attaché
at the Norwegian legation in Stockholm
from 1941 to 1943. In 1943 Smith-Kielland attended the wedding of prominent Nazi Bjørn Østring. Among the other wedding guests were Nazis Vidkun Quisling
, Sverre Riisnæs
, Frederik Prytz, Axel Heiberg Stang
, Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang
. From 1944 he worked for the Czech government-in-exile, and after the war's
end he became ambassador to the Czechoslovak Republic
. He also had responsibility for Austria
from 1946, but after the Communist coup
in 1948 he returned to Norway. He spent one year in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before becoming a part of the Court of the Norwegian Royal Family
.
In 1949 he was appointed as chamberlain and court marshal by King Haakon VII of Norway
, and in 1955 he was promoted to lord chamberlain
, leaving the position as court marshal vacant for the time being. As lord chamberlain he was the highest economic and administrative officer in the Royal Palace
, and also had responsibility for Oscarshall
, Skaugum
, Kongsseteren and Bygdø Kongsgård. In 1958, one year after King Haakon's death, the entire Court of the Norwegian Royal Family consisted of as few as seven people; Smith-Kielland, Richard Andvord
, Odd Grønvold
(who eventually had succeeded Smith-Kielland as court marshal) and Ellinor Grønvold, Ingeborg von Hanno and Vincent Bommen. Smith-Kielland retired as lord chamberlain in 1966. His son Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland
later served as court marshal from 1966 to 1985 and lord chamberlain from 1985 to 1991.
Ingvald Smith-Kielland was decorated with the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, the Danish Order of the Dannebrog
, the Swedish Order of the Polar Star
, the Order of the Lion of Finland
, the Icelandic Order of the Falcon
and the British Royal Victorian Order
. He was also admitted into the exclusive skiing-based social club SK Ull
in 1973. He died in January 1984 in Oslo. He and his wife were buried at Vår Frelsers gravlund
.
He was born in Egge
Egge
Egge is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality is part of the present-day municipality of Steinkjer, including the areas north of the town of Steinkjer, south of the lake Snåsavatnet, west of the lake Fossemvatnet, and east of Beitstad...
as the son of Colonel Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland
Ingvald M. Smith-Kielland, Sr.
Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland was a Norwegian military officer.He was a son of Colonel Ingvald Maryllus Emil Smith and Maren Elisabeth Bull Kielland . His mother was a daughter of Jacob Kielland, sister of Jens Zetlitz Kielland and Jacob Kielland and sister-in-law of Jacob Jørgen Kastrup Sømme...
(1863–1949) and Ragnhild Johanne Duborgh (1869–1961). He was a brother of painter Per Smith-Kielland
Per Smith-Kielland
Per Axel Smith-Kielland was a Norwegian painter.He was born in Kristiania, and was a brother of diplomat Ingvald Smith-Kielland. He studied under Christian Krohg at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts from 1914 to 1915, and became an accomplished painter, but fell ill as early as 1918, and...
. Through his grandmother Maren Elisabeth Bull Kielland (1821–1899), he was a first cousin once removed of people like Alexander Kielland
Alexander Kielland
Alexander Lange Kielland was one of the most famous Norwegian realistic writers of the 19th century. He is one of the so-called "The Four Greats" in Norwegian literature, along with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Jonas Lie.-Background:Born in Stavanger, Norway, he grew up in a rich...
.
He finished his secondary education in 1908, and graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy
Norwegian Military Academy
The Norwegian Army Academy was established in 1750. It is the oldest university-level educational institution in Norway, and one of the oldest active military academies in the world. Krigsskolen primarily educates officers for the Norwegian Army. There are separate academies for the Royal...
in 1911 and the Norwegian Military College
Norwegian Military College
The Norwegian Military College was a military educational institution in Norway.It was established on 16 February 1817, with headquarters at Akershus Fortress...
in 1913. After some years in the military he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway...
in 1920, where he helped to negotiate Norwegian fishing rights near Eastern Greenland ("Erik the Red's Land
Erik the Red's Land
Erik the Red's Land was the name given by Norwegians to an area on the coast of eastern Greenland occupied by Norway in the early 1930s. It was named after Erik the Red, the founder of the first Norse settlements in Greenland in the 10th century...
"). He also negotiated with Spain and Portugal when these wine-exporting countries complained about the prohibition in Norway, in effect since the prohibition referendum of 1919
Norwegian Prohibition referendum, 1919
A referendum on whether Norway should introduce Prohibition was held on October 5 and 6, 1919. A partial prohibition had been in effect since 1917. The prohibition proposal did not include all types of alcohol, only spirits...
. The temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
had won the referendum; and Smith-Kielland had been a part of this movement, but he withdrew due to the diffucult situation for Norway. Somewhat due to the pressure of Spain and Portugal, the prohibition was lifted after a new referendum in 1926
Norwegian Continued Prohibition referendum, 1926
A consultative and facultative referendum on whether Norway should continue prohibition was held on October 18, 1926. A partial prohibition had been effective since 1917, and a 1919 referendum lay a ban on spirits and dessert wine....
.
Also, before World War II, Smith-Kielland was a sports official. He was the secretary-general of the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
from 1933 to 1936 and chaired the Norwegian Skiing Federation from 1934 to 1936. He also oversaw the Norwegian delegations to the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
and the 1928
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
and 1932 Winter Olympics
1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
. In 1918 he married Elisabeth Hesselberg-Meyer (1897–1982), daughter of a landowner.
From 1929 to 1938, Smith-Kielland was a subdirector in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He then worked as counsellor of the Norwegian legation in London from 1938 to 1941 and 1943 to 1944, and as military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
at the Norwegian legation in Stockholm
Norwegian legation in Stockholm
The Norwegian Legation in Stockholm played a significant role during the Second World War. Until 9 April 1940 the legation consisted of four persons, and at the end of the war about 1,100 persons were connected to the legation. Refugee cases were among the legation's most central tasks...
from 1941 to 1943. In 1943 Smith-Kielland attended the wedding of prominent Nazi Bjørn Østring. Among the other wedding guests were Nazis Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
, Sverre Riisnæs
Sverre Riisnæs
Sverre Parelius Riisnæs was a Norwegian jurist and public prosecutor who was born 6 November 1897 in Vik, Sogn county and died 21 June 1988 in Oslo...
, Frederik Prytz, Axel Heiberg Stang
Axel Heiberg Stang
Axel Heiberg Stang was a Norwegian who was appointed councillor of state in the Nasjonal Samling government of Vidkun Quisling , and minister ....
, Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang
Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang
Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang was a Norwegian secretary to the NS government of Vidkun Quisling 1940–1941 and minister 1941–1942 and 1942–1945...
. From 1944 he worked for the Czech government-in-exile, and after the war's
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
end he became ambassador to the Czechoslovak Republic
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. He also had responsibility for Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
from 1946, but after the Communist coup
Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
in 1948 he returned to Norway. He spent one year in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before becoming a part of the Court of the Norwegian Royal Family
Norwegian Royal Family
The Royal Family of Norway is the family of King Harald V of Norway. In Norway there is a distinction between the Royal House and the Royal Family. The Royal House includes only the King and his spouse, the Queen, the King's eldest son with spouse, being the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and the...
.
In 1949 he was appointed as chamberlain and court marshal by King Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
, and in 1955 he was promoted to lord chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain of Norway
The Lord Chamberlain of Norway is a traditional officer of the Royal Household of Norway. The title was introduced in 1866...
, leaving the position as court marshal vacant for the time being. As lord chamberlain he was the highest economic and administrative officer in the Royal Palace
Royal Palace, Oslo
The Royal Palace in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of Norwegian and Swedish king Charles III and is the official residence of the present Norwegian Monarch. The crown prince couple resides at Skaugum in Asker west of Oslo...
, and also had responsibility for Oscarshall
Oscarshall
Oscarshall castle is located in the small fjord Frognerkilen on Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway.- History :The castle was built from 1847 to 1852 by the Danish architect Johan Henrik Nebelong for King Oscar I...
, Skaugum
Skaugum
Skaugum is the official residence of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and of his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit.The estate is located in Asker municipality, about 15 miles southwest of Oslo. Owned by the Church in the Middle Ages, it passed through several owners until 1909, when Fritz Wedel...
, Kongsseteren and Bygdø Kongsgård. In 1958, one year after King Haakon's death, the entire Court of the Norwegian Royal Family consisted of as few as seven people; Smith-Kielland, Richard Andvord
Richard Andvord (born 1886)
Richard Andvord was a Norwegian cavalry officer, diplomat and aide-de-camp for the Norwegian Royal Family.-Early life and career:...
, Odd Grønvold
Odd Grønvold
Odd Grønvold was a Norwegian royal servant.He was born in Kristiania, and was a grandnephew of the former private secretary to King Haakon VII of Norway, Hans Aimar Mow Grønvold. He was hired as secretary to Crown Prince Olav of Norway in 1954, and when Olav ascended the monarch's throne in 1957,...
(who eventually had succeeded Smith-Kielland as court marshal) and Ellinor Grønvold, Ingeborg von Hanno and Vincent Bommen. Smith-Kielland retired as lord chamberlain in 1966. His son Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland
Ingvald M. Smith-Kielland
-Personal life:He was born in 1919. His father Ingvald Smith-Kielland served as chamberlain and court marshal from 1949 to 1955 and lord chamberlain from 1955 to 1966, under the kings Haakon VII and Olav V . He was also the nephew of painter Per Smith-Kielland.-Career:Ingvald M. Smith-Kielland was...
later served as court marshal from 1966 to 1985 and lord chamberlain from 1985 to 1991.
Ingvald Smith-Kielland was decorated with the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, the Danish Order of the Dannebrog
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
, the Swedish Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
, the Order of the Lion of Finland
Order of the Lion of Finland
There are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland . The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The orders are administered by boards consisting of a chancellor, a...
, the Icelandic Order of the Falcon
Order of the Falcon
The Order of the Falcon or Hin íslenska fálkaorða is a national Order of Iceland, established on July 3, 1921 by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland.-History and appointments:...
and the British Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
. He was also admitted into the exclusive skiing-based social club SK Ull
SK Ull
Skiklubben Ull was a Norwegian Nordic skiing club based in Oslo but with its sporting facilities in Vestre Aker. Founded in 1883, it attracted several professed sportsmen who between 1883 and 1891 won six Ladies' Cups and one King's Cup, among other national events. Its members also participated in...
in 1973. He died in January 1984 in Oslo. He and his wife were buried at Vår Frelsers gravlund
Vår Frelsers gravlund
Vår Frelsers gravlund is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It was created in 1808 as a result of the great famine and cholera epidemic of the Napoleonic Wars. Its grounds were extended in 1911. The cemetery has been full since 1952...
.