Trygve Bratteli

Trygve Martin Bratteli ( born January 11, 1910 in Nøtterøy, † November 20, 1984 in Oslo) was a Norwegian social democratic politician, 1965-1975 chairman of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of his country from 1971 to 1972 and 1973 until 1976.

After elementary school Bratteli went to sea, 1926-1927 on whaling. 1934 Bratteli was editor of the newspaper " Folkets Frihet " in Kirkenes. In 1940 he was secretary of the Norwegian Labour Party. Between 1940 and 1942 he worked as a carpenter in Kristiansund. Bratteli fought in the resistance and was arrested in 1942 by the Germans. He survived, inter alia, the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and Natzweiler -Struthof.

After the war Bratteli became chairman of the Defence Commission formed in 1946. From 1950 to 1981 he sat as a Member of the Norwegian Parliament Storting. From November 1951 to January 1955 and again from December 1956 to April 1960 he was Minister of Finance from 1960 to 1963 and then from 1963 to 1964 Minister of Transport. He then took three times the post of Group Chairman (1964-1971, 1972-1973, 1976-1981 ).

From 1971 to 1972 Bratteli was Prime Minister. He stepped back with his government after the referendum on accession of Norway to the European Economic Community ( EEC) was negative. After a year of civil government Lyng Bratteli returned in 1973 for another three years in the State Chancellery back.