Magnus Nilssen
Encyclopedia
Magnus Nilssen was Norwegian
politician for the Labour
and Social Democratic Labour
parties.
He was born in Lillehammer
as a son of shoemaker Mathias Nilssen (1834–1920) and his wife Eline Pedersen (1835–1918). He was a first cousin of Marcus Halfdan Kastrud. He finished his appreniceship as a goldsmith
in 1889, and moved to Kristiania
in the same year. He was a secretary in his local trade union from 1891 to 1892 and treasruer in 1893. He was also member of the socialist youth club Friheden in both Kristiania and Sarpsborg
(where he lived in 1894). He started his own goldsmith business in 1897. In November the same year he married Inga Marie Ravneberg.
He joined the Norwegian Labour Party
, and became a member of the central board in 1900. From 1901 to 1918 he was the party secretary. He lost out when "the new direction" became dominant in 1918. "The new direction" had tried to replace him with Alfred Madsen at the national convention in 1915. In 1921 he quit the central board to co-found a new party, the Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway
. He chaired this party throughout its existence, from 1921 to 1927. He took part at the founding congress of the Labour and Socialist International
in 1923; the other Norwegian delegates were Arne Magnussen
, Michael Puntervold
and Olav Kringen
.
Nilssen was a member of Kristiania (Oslo) city council from 1902 to 1910, 1914 to 1919 and 1926 to 1928. To the Parliament of Norway he was elected for the first time in the Norwegian parliamentary election, 1906
. He represented his city. He was re-elected eight times, to serve a total of nine terms in Parliament. There was a hiatus between 1922 and 1927; he was never elected to Parliament for the Social Democratic Labour Party. He served as President of the Lagting from 1919 to 1921 and Vice President of the Storting from 1935 to 1945. After the reunion of Labour and Social Democratic Labour in 1927, he rejoined the Labour Party central board, this time as deputy party leader. The party had two deputy leaders—Nilssen and Edvard Bull, Sr.
—to accommodate different wings within the party. Nilssen also served as Minister of Labour in the two-week Hornsrud's Cabinet between January and February 1928.
He left as deputy leader in 1939, and left the central board in 1945. His last term in Parliament ended in 1945—de facto with a hiatus from 1940 to 1945, when Germany occupied Norway and suspended Parliament. Nilssen participated in the Riksråd negotiations in 1940 between Germans and those parliamentarians who had not fled the country, in which the Presidium infamously asked King Haakon VII
to abdicate. During the remainder of the occupation, Nilssen lost all his public positions. After the occupation and war, he was dropped by the Labour Party as their member of the Presidium, and was not summoned to the relevant meetings and forums. Fredrik Monsen was the party's new member of the Presidium.
Nilssen was a member of the supervisory committee of the Gjøvik Line from 1908 to 1919, and of the supervisory council of Norges Brannkasse. He was a school board member in Oslo from 1910 to 1922 and 1929 to 1937, and a board member of Norges Statsbaner
from 1922 and Oslo Hospital from 1933. He was a deputy board member of the Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture
from 1938 to 1940, and a deputy member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
from 1922 to 1940.
Nilssen died in November 1947 in Oslo.
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...
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 Social Democratic Labour
Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway
The Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway was a Norwegian political party in the 1920s. Following the Labour Party's entry into the Comintern in 1919, its right wing left the party to form the Social Democratic Labour Party in 1921...
parties.
He was born in 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...
as a son of shoemaker Mathias Nilssen (1834–1920) and his wife Eline Pedersen (1835–1918). He was a first cousin of Marcus Halfdan Kastrud. He finished his appreniceship as a goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
in 1889, and moved to 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 the same year. He was a secretary in his local trade union from 1891 to 1892 and treasruer in 1893. He was also member of the socialist youth club Friheden in both Kristiania and Sarpsborg
Sarpsborg
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg.Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neighbouring Fredrikstad...
(where he lived in 1894). He started his own goldsmith business in 1897. In November the same year he married Inga Marie Ravneberg.
He joined the Norwegian 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....
, and became a member of the central board in 1900. From 1901 to 1918 he was the party secretary. He lost out when "the new direction" became dominant in 1918. "The new direction" had tried to replace him with Alfred Madsen at the national convention in 1915. In 1921 he quit the central board to co-found a new party, the Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway
Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway
The Social Democratic Labour Party of Norway was a Norwegian political party in the 1920s. Following the Labour Party's entry into the Comintern in 1919, its right wing left the party to form the Social Democratic Labour Party in 1921...
. He chaired this party throughout its existence, from 1921 to 1927. He took part at the founding congress of the Labour and Socialist International
Labour and Socialist International
The Labour and Socialist International was an international organization of socialist and labour parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The LSI was a forerunner of the present-day Socialist International....
in 1923; the other Norwegian delegates were Arne Magnussen
Arne Magnussen
Arne Magnussen was a Norwegian trade unionist, newspaper editor and politician for the Labour and the Social Democratic Labour parties.He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from the urban constituency of Moss og Drøbak in 1919...
, Michael Puntervold
Michael Puntervold
Michael Puntervold was a Norwegian lawyer and politician for the Labour and Social Democratic Labour parties.He is known for having a personal relation with Lenin and later served as a lawyer for Leon Trotsky during his exile...
and Olav Kringen
Olav Kringen
Olav Kringen was a Norwegian newspaper editor.He was born at a croft in Sel, and was a manual laborer in Norway before emigrating to the United States in 1887. There, he studied and took a teacher education. He worked as a teacher in Minnesota and Dakota. For the next two years he worked in the...
.
Nilssen was a member of Kristiania (Oslo) city council from 1902 to 1910, 1914 to 1919 and 1926 to 1928. To the Parliament of Norway he was elected for the first time in the Norwegian parliamentary election, 1906
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1906
-Results:-References:**...
. He represented his city. He was re-elected eight times, to serve a total of nine terms in Parliament. There was a hiatus between 1922 and 1927; he was never elected to Parliament for the Social Democratic Labour Party. He served as President of the Lagting from 1919 to 1921 and Vice President of the Storting from 1935 to 1945. After the reunion of Labour and Social Democratic Labour in 1927, he rejoined the Labour Party central board, this time as deputy party leader. The party had two deputy leaders—Nilssen and Edvard Bull, Sr.
Edvard Bull, Sr.
Edvard Bull was a Norwegian historian and politician for the Labour Party. He took the doctorate in 1912 and became a professor at the University of Kristiania in 1917, and is known for writings on a broad range of subjects. In addition to his academic work, he is known for his work on Norsk...
—to accommodate different wings within the party. Nilssen also served as Minister of Labour in the two-week Hornsrud's Cabinet between January and February 1928.
He left as deputy leader in 1939, and left the central board in 1945. His last term in Parliament ended in 1945—de facto with a hiatus from 1940 to 1945, when Germany occupied Norway and suspended Parliament. Nilssen participated in the Riksråd negotiations in 1940 between Germans and those parliamentarians who had not fled the country, in which the Presidium infamously asked King Haakon VII
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...
to abdicate. During the remainder of the occupation, Nilssen lost all his public positions. After the occupation and war, he was dropped by the Labour Party as their member of the Presidium, and was not summoned to the relevant meetings and forums. Fredrik Monsen was the party's new member of the Presidium.
Nilssen was a member of the supervisory committee of the Gjøvik Line from 1908 to 1919, and of the supervisory council of Norges Brannkasse. He was a school board member in Oslo from 1910 to 1922 and 1929 to 1937, and a board member of Norges Statsbaner
Norges Statsbaner
Norges Statsbaner AS, also known as the Norwegian State Railways and NSB, is a company which is responsible for most passenger train operation in Norway...
from 1922 and Oslo Hospital from 1933. He was a deputy board member of the Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture
Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture
The Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture is a humanities research institute based in Oslo, Norway.It was established in 1922 by Fredrik Stang. An independent institute, its task is to sponsor research mainly in the fields of comparative linguistics, folklore, religion, ethnology,...
from 1938 to 1940, and a deputy member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
Norwegian Nobel Committee
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize each year.Its five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and roughly represent the political makeup of that body.-History:...
from 1922 to 1940.
Nilssen died in November 1947 in Oslo.