Otto Jensen was a Norwegian bishop and politician. He was Minister of Education and Church Affairs from 1906 to 1907 and bishop of Hamar

Diocese of Hamar

Hamar is a present Lutheran diocese, named after its episcopal see, the Norwegian city of Hamar.There are 164 parishes in the diocese.-Lutheran diocese:...

 from 1917 to 1918.

He was born in Kongsberg

Kongsberg

is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg....

 as the son of sexton Even Jensen and his wife Inger Margrethe Berggrav. He enrolled as a student in 1874, and graduated in 1879 with the degree cand.theol

Cand.theol.

Candidatus theologiæ , Candidata theologiæ , abbreviated cand. theol. is an academic degree with a long tradition, awarded after a six year higher education in theology in Denmark and Norway. In Norway, the title has remained after the "Quality Reform", though it is equivalent to a Master of...

. In 1880 he was hired as a school teacher 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...

. He left the city to become a high school teacher in Stavanger

Stavanger

Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...

 in 1883. From 1889 to 1899 he was a curate

Curate

A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...

 in Berg i Smaalenene

Berg, Østfold

Berg is a former parish and municipality which now forms part of Halden municipality in Østfold county, Norway.-History:Berg was the main parish in a district which included Rokke and Halden until 1721. Halden subsequently became the main parish in the district. By a royal proclamation in 1769,...

; he subsequently returned to Stavanger to hold the same position there. In 1898 he had taken the doctorate at the University of Kristiania

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 1906, Jensen left Stavanger for good as he was hired as a vicar in Skjeberg

Skjeberg

Skjeberg is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The last administrative centre was Borgenhaugen.The parish of Skjeberg was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...

. However, already on 27 January the same year he was Norwegian Minister of Education and Church Affairs, replacing Christoffer Knudsen

Christoffer Knudsen

Christoffer Knudsen was a Norwegian priest and politician for the Conservative Party. He was Minister of Education and Church Affairs from 1905 to 1906....

 in the cabinet Michelsen. This was a coalition government, and Jensen was an independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

. Jensen lost his job on 22 October 1907, when the cabinet Michelsen fell. He returned to the vicarship in Skjeberg. In Skjeberg he was a member of the local school board; he had chaired the school board while living in Stavanger. In 1912 he was hired as dean

Dean (religion)

A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...

 in the Diocese of Kristiania

Diocese of Oslo

Oslo bishopric is The Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070.-History:...

. In 1917 Jensen was appointed bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the Diocese of Hamar

Diocese of Hamar

Hamar is a present Lutheran diocese, named after its episcopal see, the Norwegian city of Hamar.There are 164 parishes in the diocese.-Lutheran diocese:...

. He held this position until his death.

Otto Jensen was the father of Eivind Berggrav

Eivind Berggrav

Eivind Josef Berggrav was a Norwegian Lutheran bishop, primarily known as Primate of the Church of Norway and remembered for his unyielding resistance against the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II.-Background:Berggrav was born in Stavanger, Norway...

, who became a bishop too, and through him the grandfather of Dag Berggrav

Dag Berggrav

Dag Berggrav was a Norwegian jurist, civil servant and sports administrator. Known mostly for his long tenure at the Norwegian Office of the Prime Minister, he also held important positions in sporting life, including the vice presidency of the International Ski Federation.-Early and personal...

who became a civil servant and sports administrator.