Early life

He was born in Gjesdal

Gjesdal

Gjesdal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. In the northwest the municipality borders Sandnes, to the north Forsand, to the east Sirdal, to the south Bjerkreim, and to the west Time....

 as a son of farmer and petty officer Gabriel Aalgaard

Gabriel Aalgaard

Gabriel Aalgaard was a Norwegian agriculturalist and politician.He was born in Ålgård as a son of petty officer and farmer Ole Aalgaard and Martha Ueland . He took petty officer training himself, graduating from officer school in 1903. He was a farmer from 1918, and in the military he reached the...

 (1881–1973) and Berta Serine Egeland (1895–1983). He finished

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...

 his secondary education at Stavanger Cathedral School in and graduated with the cand.jur. degree from the University of Oslo

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...

 in 1946. He chaired Sosialistisk studentlag in 1946, and was hired as a secretary in 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 the same year. He worked two years in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 before returning to Norway in 1950. In November 1947 he married Rigmor Braathe.

Later career

From 1951 to 1956 he was a legation secretary in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, changing to chargé d'affaires as Norway got an embassy in the country. He mainly worked in Norway from 1956 to 1961, as an embassy councellor at the Norwegian United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 embassy from 1961 to 1964, and as embassy councellor in the Council of Europe

Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...

 from 1965 to 1967.

He was Norway's ambassador to the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 from 1967 to 1971 and to the United Nations from 1971 to 1982. He was the President of the United Nations Security Council

President of the United Nations Security Council

The President of the United Nations Security Council is the presiding officer of that body. The president is the head of the delegation from the Security Council member state that holds the rotating presidency.-Selection:...

 in April 1979 and June 1980. He was the ambassador to Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 from 1982 to 1989. He chaired the Norwegian Atlantic Committee. He settled at his wife's family farm in Våler, Østfold

Våler, Østfold

Våler is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of "Våler i Østfold". The parish of Vaaler was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .- Name :...

 in 1989, where he died in January 1995.

He was decorated as a Commander of the Order of St. Olav in 1978, and held the Grand Cross of the 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...

. He was a Knight of the Belgian Order of Leopold and 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...

, and held the Austrian Order of Merit.