15 Facts About Nils Hjelmtveit

Nils Hjelmtveit was a Norwegian educator and politician for the Labour Party.

Nils Hjelmtveit was mayor of Stokken, MP from 1925 to 1930, Minister of Education and Church Affairs from 1935 to 1945 and County Governor of Aust-Agder from 1945 to 1961.

Nils Hjelmtveit was born at Hopland in Alversund municipality as a son of farmer Nils Hjelmtveit, Sr.

Nils Hjelmtveit graduated from Stord Teacher's College in 1913, and was hired as a teacher in Eydehamn in the same year.

Nils Hjelmtveit chaired the school board from 1921 to 1922.

Nils Hjelmtveit was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Aust-Agder in 1924 and 1927, serving two terms.

In 1935, when Nygaardsvold's Cabinet assumed office, Nils Hjelmtveit was appointed Minister of Education and Church Affairs.

Nils Hjelmtveit reportedly had to be strongly persuaded by Johan Nygaardsvold.

From 1940 to 1945 Nils Hjelmtveit was exiled in London together with the rest of Nygaardsvold's Cabinet, because of the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany.

Nils Hjelmtveit later defended the cabinet's actions on 9 April 1940, when they fled from the invading Germans.

Nils Hjelmtveit stepped down in June 1945, when Gerhardsen's First Cabinet took over.

Nils Hjelmtveit headed the Norwegian delegation to found UNESCO in London in 1945, and headed the delegation for UNESCO's 1st General Conference in Paris in 1946.

Nils Hjelmtveit was a temperance activist, and was a local board member of the International Organisation of Good Templars.

Nils Hjelmtveit was a member of the council of Vinmonopolet from 1929, deputy chair from 1932 to 1935, and then chair from 1946.

Nils Hjelmtveit was decorated with the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav in 1954, and died in 1985 at Flosta.