Henrik Angell

Henrik August Angell (22 August 1861 – 26 January 1922) was a Norwegian military officer, sportsman, and writer. He was a ski pioneer and the first Norwegian delegate to the International Olympic Committee.[1]

Monument to Colonel Henrik August Angell by Gustav Lærum, 1923

Henrik Angell was born at Luster in Sogn og Fjordane and grew up in Bergen, Norway. He was the son of Johan Mølmann Anderson Lysholm Angell (1820–88) and his wife Marie With Bonnevie (1830–1904). He received an education at the Norwegian Military Academy and entered the Norwegian Army. He was a colonel and regiment chief from 1911. He was commander leader of the Søndermør Infantry Regiment until 1914 and of the Smaalenene Infantry Regiment until 1918. He joined the French Foreign Legion in 1918, and participated on the Western Front for France in World War I.[2][3][4]

Angell was admitted to the skiing club SK Ull in 1898 and was a sports advocate.[5] He wrote several books promoting skiing and Norwegian nationalism. He also wrote a series of military history books.[6][7]

He died during 1922 in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. His statue by Gustav Lærum is located at Holmenkollen in Oslo.[8][9]