Kristian Gleditsch
Encyclopedia
Kristian Gleditsch, MBE
(30 June 1901 – 7 April 1973) was a Norwegian Mot Dag
activist and geodesist
.
He was born in Tromsøysund
as a son of headmaster Karl Kristian Gleditsch (1851–1913) and Petra Birgitte Hansen (1857–1913). His family moved to Trondhjem
and then Fredrikshald
in 1905. From 1913 he lived with his sister Ellen Gleditsch. He was also a nephew of Jens Gran Gleditsch
and Kristen Gran Gleditsch
, a first cousin of Henry Gleditsch
and second cousin of Rolf Juell Gleditsch
and Odd Gleditsch, Sr
.
He took his examen artium
in Kristiania
in 1919, enrolled at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
and graduated as a civil engineer in 1923. He studied further in France until 1925. He worked for the Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority (then known as ) while studying, and when he returned from France to Norway in 1927 to work as a research assistant at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, he became a prominent member of the Student Society in Trondheim, Mot Dag
and Clarté
. He was also active in the Communist Party of Norway
, but was excluded in 1929 because of his membership in Mot Dag.
He worked as an editor of science articles in the working class encyclopedia Arbeidernes leksikon
from 1932 to 1936, and worked in the publishing house Arbeidermagasinets Forlag in the same period. He also wrote books. From 1936 to 1937 he was a secretary for the Norwegian Support Committee for Spain, which sided with the Second Spanish Republic
. He also chaired the Norwegian Students' Society in 1934 and 1937. In February 1934 he married fellow activist Ingrid Margaret Haslund (1908–1996), better known as Nini Haslund Gleditsch
.
From 1938 to 1940 he worked for Norges Geografiske Oppmåling in Aker
and Oslo
. He had to leave Norway in 1940 due to the German occupation of Norway, and was among those who oversaw the flight of the Norwegian National Treasury
. He settled in the United Kingdom with his wife, and worked in the Ministry of Defence
from 1940 to 1943 and for the Norwegian High Command
from 1943 to 1945. He was decorated with the Defence Medal 1940–1945 and was declared a Member of the Order of the British Empire
.
After the war, in 1945, he returned to Norway and was appointed director of Norges Geografiske Oppmåling, a position he held until 1971. He chaired the Norwegian Geographical Society
from 1949 to 1953. He was also involved in the Norwegian development aid
project in Kerala
, as chairman of the aid foundation from 1958 to 1962. The first Norwegian development aid project, it has been described as "an experiment for former Mot-Dag-ists". A significant motivation for the project was to please the leftist opposition within the Labour Party in a time of NATO membership and increased spendings on defence.
Gleditsch was decorated as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1970. He died in 7 April 1973 in Oslo.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(30 June 1901 – 7 April 1973) was a Norwegian Mot Dag
Mot Dag
Mot Dag was a Norwegian periodical and a communist organization with the same name.It was established in 1921 under the initiative of Erling Falk, partly with origins in the debate forum in the Social Democratic student government in Oslo ; partly from a Falk-led study circle which from 1919...
activist and geodesist
Geodesy
Geodesy , also named geodetics, a branch of earth sciences, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal...
.
He was born in Tromsøysund
Tromsøysund
Tromsøysund is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located in the southern and eastern parts of the present-day municipality of Tromsø, including the villages of Tromsdalen and Movik.-History:...
as a son of headmaster Karl Kristian Gleditsch (1851–1913) and Petra Birgitte Hansen (1857–1913). His family moved to Trondhjem
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
and then Fredrikshald
Halden
is a both a town and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The seat of the municipality, Halden is a border town located at the Tista river delta on the Iddefjord, the southernmost border crossing between Norway and Sweden.-History:...
in 1905. From 1913 he lived with his sister Ellen Gleditsch. He was also a nephew of Jens Gran Gleditsch
Jens Gran Gleditsch
Jens Gran Gleditsch was a Norwegian bishop and theologian. He was a brother of Kristen Gran Gleditsch.Gleditsch was born on 6 December 1860 in Voss, Søndre Bergenhus, Norway. He received his cand.theol. degree in 1883 from the University of Oslo. He was a chaplain in Lista from 1887 until 1891...
and Kristen Gran Gleditsch
Kristen Gran Gleditsch
Kristen Gran Gleditsch was a Norwegian military officer and topographer.He was born in Overhalla as a son of dean Lars August Gleditsch . He was a brother of bishop Jens Gran Gleditsch, an uncle of Ellen, Kristian and Henry Gleditsch, and a first cousin once removed of Odd Gleditsch, Sr...
, a first cousin of Henry Gleditsch
Henry Gleditsch
Henry Cochrane Williamsen Gleditsch was a Norwegian actor and theatre director.He was born in Kristiania. In his young days he participated in skiing for SFK Lyn....
and second cousin of Rolf Juell Gleditsch
Rolf Juell Gleditsch
Rolf Juell Gleditsch was a Norwegian painter.He was born in Vartdal. He was a second cousin of Odd, Ellen, Kristian and Henry Gleditsch, and a first cousin once removed of Kristen Gran Gleditsch and Jens Gran Gleditsch....
and Odd Gleditsch, Sr
Odd Gleditsch, Sr.
Odd Gleditsch, Sr. was a Norwegian business entrepreneur. The founder of the paint company Jotun, he began as a paint distributor but then turned to manufacturing the paint himself. He was CEO of the company from 1926 to 1967.-Personal life:He was born in Sandefjord as a son of whaler Einar S...
.
He took his examen artium
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
in Kristiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in 1919, enrolled at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
Norwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...
and graduated as a civil engineer in 1923. He studied further in France until 1925. He worked for the Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority (then known as ) while studying, and when he returned from France to Norway in 1927 to work as a research assistant at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, he became a prominent member of the Student Society in Trondheim, Mot Dag
Mot Dag
Mot Dag was a Norwegian periodical and a communist organization with the same name.It was established in 1921 under the initiative of Erling Falk, partly with origins in the debate forum in the Social Democratic student government in Oslo ; partly from a Falk-led study circle which from 1919...
and Clarté
Clarté (Norway)
Clarté was a socialist and pacifist organisation in Norway.It was founded in 1925, and had its roots in a French-based international organization of the same name...
. He was also active in the Communist Party of Norway
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...
, but was excluded in 1929 because of his membership in Mot Dag.
He worked as an editor of science articles in the working class 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...
from 1932 to 1936, and worked in the publishing house Arbeidermagasinets Forlag in the same period. He also wrote books. From 1936 to 1937 he was a secretary for the Norwegian Support Committee for Spain, which sided with the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
. He also chaired the Norwegian Students' Society in 1934 and 1937. In February 1934 he married fellow activist Ingrid Margaret Haslund (1908–1996), better known as Nini Haslund Gleditsch
Nini Haslund Gleditsch
Nini Haslund Gleditsch was a Norwegian political activist and advocate for peace.-Personal life:Nini was born in Moss as the daughter of deputy education officer Johannes Emmanuel Haslund and Aagot Mathilde Løken. She married fellow Mot Dag activist and geodesist Kristian Gleditsch in 1934...
.
From 1938 to 1940 he worked for Norges Geografiske Oppmåling in Aker
Aker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
and Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. He had to leave Norway in 1940 due to the German occupation of Norway, and was among those who oversaw the flight of the Norwegian National Treasury
Flight of the Norwegian National Treasury
The National Treasury of Norway consisted of in 1940 value worth of gold weighing around 50 tons. The entire gold deposit was stored at Norges Bank's main vault at their headquarters in Oslo. During the increasing tension of the 1930s, plans were made to make the deposit more mobile...
. He settled in the United Kingdom with his wife, and worked in the Ministry of Defence
Norwegian Ministry of Defence
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of the activities of subordinate agencies. The ministry is located at Glacisgata 1, Oslo,...
from 1940 to 1943 and for the Norwegian High Command
Norwegian High Command
The Norwegian High Command was Norway's top military leadership from 1970 to 2003. It was first established in Northern Norway in 1940 by General Otto Ruge. It was then re-established by the Norwegian Government-in-exile in London in 1942, lasting until 1946...
from 1943 to 1945. He was decorated with the Defence Medal 1940–1945 and was declared a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
After the war, in 1945, he returned to Norway and was appointed director of Norges Geografiske Oppmåling, a position he held until 1971. He chaired the Norwegian Geographical Society
Norwegian Geographical Society
The Norwegian Geographical Society is a Norwegian learned society founded in 1889. Among the initiators was geologist Hans Henrik Reusch, who chaired the society from 1898 to 1903, and again from 1907 to 1909, and was also an honorary member...
from 1949 to 1953. He was also involved in the Norwegian development aid
Development aid
Development aid or development cooperation is aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social and political development of developing countries.It is distinguished...
project in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, as chairman of the aid foundation from 1958 to 1962. The first Norwegian development aid project, it has been described as "an experiment for former Mot-Dag-ists". A significant motivation for the project was to please the leftist opposition within the Labour Party in a time of NATO membership and increased spendings on defence.
Gleditsch was decorated as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1970. He died in 7 April 1973 in Oslo.