Ketil Motzfeldt
Ketil Johnsen Melsted Motzfeldt ( born August 10, 1814 Bergen, † November 17, 1889 in Christiania ) was a Norwegian naval officer and politician.
Family
Motzfeldt's parents were Peter Motzfeldt the State Council (1777-1854) and his wife Ernesta Birgitte Margrethe Stenersen ( 1789-1848 ).
On August 14, 1860 he married Helen Susanne Amalie Rosenvinge (* June 24, 1840, † March 21, 1903 ), the daughter of the landowner piece Schøller Rosenvinge ( 1813-1849 ) and his wife Thale Abel Kjerstine Motzfeldt ( 1814-1847 ), his cousin. He was the brother of Ulrik Anton Motzfeldt (1807-1865) and cousin of his brother Christian Birch - rich Forest ( 1814-91 ).
Professional career
Motzfeldt 1826 midshipman in Frederikshavn and 1832 naval officer. Until 1841 he was a second lieutenant in the Navy, then lieutenant until 1852, he left the Navy. As an officer, he was responsible for the equipment of warships on the main shipyard of the Navy. In 1852 he was in the interior department "Expedition secretary ". A year later he left the office to be selectable as Stortingsabgeordneter. In 1854 he was elected on the recommendation of Anton Martin Schweigaards for Christiania in the Storting. He represented Christiania in 1854, 1857 in the extraordinary Storting from 1858 and from 1859 to 1860. 1857-1860 he was also Director General Post, the only one who had held this office. Johan Sverdrup tried in vain to explain the choice to leave the Storting for invalid because the Office of the Director General Post was not independent of government.
His most significant achievement was the regulation of fishing interests in northern Norway in the 50s of the 19th century. There, the fishermen were dependent on the owners of the fishing places, so that they were almost become serfs. Motzfeldt stood up for the freedom of the sea and fishing. He tabled a request to the Storting and was used for 1858 and 1859 as Director of the Fisheries Control when the law was promulgated.
With 46 years Motzfeldt moved to Rødøy and married the 26 years younger relatives. In 1860, he moved to Stockholm, where he was appointed to the Norwegian State. Motzfeld came along with his cousin and brother- Birch - rich forest in the government. These two played a crucial role in the governor dispute. In this dispute was about to abolish the office of Governor in Norway to establish the equality of Norway with Sweden in the Norwegian- Swedish Union. The Storting had passed unanimously in the reliance on a commitment to King Charles on his accession to the abolition decision. But the king could not redeem his promise because of the protests in the Swedish Parliament. Then, the government adopted an essentially formulated by Christian Birch - rich forest protest that President George Sibbern in this sharp shape the king did not want to recite. It came to the government crisis and reshuffle. The new head of government Frederik Stang had enforced a slowdown. The king was nonetheless outraged. Christian Birch - rich forest, Ketil Motzfeldt and the First Council of State Hans Christian Petersen had to resign. The king appointed a transitional government under a Sibbern. The result was an irreconcilable opposition between conservatives within the Birch - rich forest and Ketil Motzfeldt on one side and Frederik Stang and Sibbern on the other. The general opinion was that the King's Court, King's fickleness and the arrogance of Sweden Motzfeld with his keen sense of nationality made it impossible to be a counselor to the king in the government. The opposition led to a split of the Conservatives.
Motzfeld temporarily retired from politics after his court Vestmanrød in Borre, today part of Horten back. 1870-1885 he was (now part of Tønsberg ) elected Stortingsdelegierten for Jarlsberg and Laurvig. He held from 1870 to 1885 this function. He joined the deputies to the later, the right-wing party founded Høyre but refused to accept even the party system in a democracy.
As was the second time sent to the Storting, this was due in large part to the support from the outside, for example Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. In the last year of his deputies activity 1858 Motzfeldt held back and was relatively loyal to the Conservatives. In recent years, he then dealt with the publication of the memoirs of his father Peter Motzfeldt Breve og optegnelser ( 1888). The slightly shortened Dagbøger 1854-89, issued in 1908 by his nephew Ernst Motzfeldt, are an important contemporary historical source.
Appreciation
Ketil Motzfeldt was individualist and caused the split of the Conservatives. He was not able to provide for compensation and merge the wing. His greatest achievement was the reorganization of the fishing rights in Northern Norway. He was a knowledgeable and successful representative for Jarlsberg and Laurvik. But in Christiania he was in the midst of lawyers without reserve. Long unmarried and in a small flat he was politically isolated. Even parties formed by him were contrary, and he despised the parliamentary system. Although he was by no means hostile to sweden, so he was afraid but constantly that Norway would be incorporated by stronger neighbors. His family background was characterized more Danish- Norwegian.
Honors
1857 Motzfeldt was awarded the St. Olav's Medal and 1860 the Commander's Cross. He was also commander of the Swedish Nordstjärneordens and Knights of Dannebrogordens.