List of members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

The five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee award the Nobel Peace Prize every year. They are appointed by the Parliament of Norway and roughly represent the political makeup of that body. The committee was established in 1897, and has awarded the prize most years since 1901. Fifty-four people have sat on the committee, of which ten have been women. Thirteen have been chair and six deputy chair. The awards in 1935 (to Carl von Ossietzky), 1973 (to Henry Kissinger) and 1994 (to Yasser Arafat) caused members of the committee to withdraw due to disagreement with the committee decision.

The committee meeting room at the Norwegian Nobel Institute
The first meeting of the committee in 1897. From the left Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, John Lund, Hans Jacob Horst, Jørgen Løvland, Christian Lange and Carl Berner.

Since 2018, the members are Berit Reiss-Andersen (chair, of the Labour Party), Henrik Syse (deputy chair, of the Conservative Party), Thorbjørn Jagland (Labour Party), Anne Enger (Centre Party) and Asle Toje (Progress Party). Historically, the committee's members have represented seven political parties, including (in addition to four already mention parties) the Liberal Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Christian People's Party. Six people have sat as the committee's secretary, who is also director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Since 2015, this has been Olav Njølstad, historian, biographer and novelist.

Appointment

The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee was established on 5 August 1897, after the Parliament of Norway accepted the duty to award the Nobel Peace Prize as stated in the will of Alfred Nobel.[1] The first prize was awarded in 1901.[2] The Committee is assisted by a secretariat that is part of the Norwegian Nobel Institute.[3] In 1901, the committee was renamed the Nobel Committee of the Parliament of Norway, but this was reverted in 1977.[1] In 1948, the election system was changed to make the committee more proportional to the representation in parliament.[4] From then until 1967, the Labour Party, who held a majority in parliament, had three representatives in the committee.[2]

It is no longer possible for active parliamentarians to sit on the committee, except for the last half year of parliamentary representation, if they have stated that they will not run for re-election. This allowed Jagland and Valle to sit on the committee in 2009, while they were still elected. The appointment is made by parliament after nominations by the parties who are to be represented in the committee.

Since 2009, the Labour Party had two seats, while the three next-largest parties, the Progress Party, the Conservative Party and the Centre Party, each have one representative. The remaining parties in parliament are not represented.[5]

Current members
Berit Reiss-Andersen, current chair of the Committee since 2017
  1. Berit Reiss-Andersen (born 11 July 1954) has sat on the committee since 2012, was a deputy chair from 2015 to 2017, and chair since 2018. She is a lawyer, author and former Labour Party politician. She served as state secretary for the Minister of Justice and Police from 1996 to 1997 and as President of the Norwegian Bar Association from 2008 to 2012.[6]
  2. Henrik Syse (born 19 April 1966) has sat on the committee as a member and a deputy chair since 2015. He is a philosopher, author, and lecturer. He is a Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), and a part-time Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Bjørknes College in Oslo.[7][6]
  3. Thorbjørn Jagland (born 5 November 1950) has sat on the committee since 2009 and was its chair in 2009–2015. In March 2015, Jagland was demoted as a chairman, the first such move since the establishment of the Committee, but has remained member. There was no official reason given for demotion, but a lot of criticism was aimed at him for awarding the Prize to Barack Obama, to the EU, and to Liu Xiaobo.[8][9] Jagland is a Labour Party politician and sat in parliament representing Buskerud from 1993 to 2009. Jagland is former party leader (1992–2002), Prime Minister (1996–97), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2000–01) and President of the Parliament (2005–09). Since 2006, Jagland has chaired the Oslo Center and since 2009 been Secretary General of the Council of Europe. He holds a master's degree in economics and has never held full-time employment outside politics or in his party.[6][10]
  4. Anne Enger (born 9 December 1949) has sat on the committee since 2018. She is a Centre Party politician, independent adviser, former Party leader (1991-1999), former Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister (1997-1999) and former County Governor of Østfold (2004-2015).[6][11]
  5. Asle Toje (born 16 February 1974) as sat on the committee since 2018. He is a foreign policy scholar and commentator, former Research Director at the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

All members
Francis Sejersted was chair from 1991 to 1999.
Gunnar Berge was chair from 2000 to 2002.
Ole Danbolt Mjøs was chair from 2003 to 2008.
Thorbjørn Jagland, chair of the Committee in 2009–2015, awarding the 2009 Prize to Barack Obama

The committee has had 57 different members. Fifteen people have been chair and nine deputy chair. Twelve women have sat on the committee, starting with Aase Lionæs in 1949. From 2009 to 2011, four of the board's five members were women. Christian Lous Lange is the only person to have both sat on the committee and been its secretary, and the only peace laureate to have sat on the committee. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson was, however, awarded the Nobel Literature Prize. The longest-serving members are Hans Jacob Horst and Aase Lionæs, who both served for 30 years. The longest-sitting chair is Gunnar Jahn, who sat for 26 years as chair and 29 years on the committee. The longest period without any changes to the committee was the 15 years from 1949 to 1963. The shortest-sitting member was Esther Kostøl, who sat for less than a year in 1997.[2][6]

Seven political parties have been represented in the committee. The first committee consisted exclusively of members of the Liberal Party. The party was represented on all committees until 1973, after which it has not had a seat. In 1907, Francis Hagerup became the first representative from the Conservative Party, and this party has been represented on the board since. The Labour Party has been represented on the board since 1919, when Halvdan Koht became a member. The Agrarian Party (since named the Centre Party) was first represented on the board by Birger Braadland in 1938. The Christian Democratic Party was first represented by Erling Wikborg in 1965, the Socialist Left Party by Hanna Kvanmo in 1991 and the Progress Party by Inger-Marie Ytterhorn in 2000.[2]

Three awards have resulted in members withdrawing from the committee. Following the 1935 award to the German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, Johan Ludwig Mowinckel and Halvdan Koht withdrew. Koht was later re-appointed to the committee.[2] Following the 1973 award to Lê Đức Thọ and Henry Kissinger, Einar Hovdhaugen and Helge Rognlien withdrew. Following the 1994 award to Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, Kåre Kristiansen withdrew.[2][12][13]

Member[2] Start End Tenure (years) Party Chair Deputy chair
Jørgen Løvland 1901192121Liberal1901–21—
John Lund 1901191212Liberal—1901–13[14]
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson 190119066Liberal——
Johannes Steen 190119044Liberal——
Hans Jacob Horst 1901193030Liberal—1914–22[14]
Carl Berner 1905191814Liberal——
Francis Hagerup 1907192014Conservative——
Cornelius Bernhard Hanssen 1913193927Liberal—1922–39[14][15]
Halvdan Koht 1919194422[note 1]Labour——
Fredrik Stang 1921194020Conservative1922–40—
Wollert Konow 192219243Liberal——
Christian Holtermann Knudsen 192419241Labour——
Johan Ludwig Mowinckel 1925193612Liberal——
Axel Thallaug 193119333Conservative——
Christian Lous Lange 193419386Labour——
Gunnar Jahn 1938196629Liberal1941–66—
Birger Braadland 1938194810[note 2]Agrarian——
Anders Vassbotn 193819392Liberal——
Carl Joachim Hambro 1940196322[note 3]Conservative—1945–49[16]
Martin Tranmæl 1940196324Labour——
Halvard Manthey Lange 194519483[note 4]Labour——
Christian Oftedal 194619472Liberal——
Herman Smitt Ingebretsen 194619461Conservative——
Aase Lionæs 1949197830Labour 1968–78—
Gustav Natvig-Pedersen 196419663Labour—1949–65[16][17]
Nils Langhelle 196419663Labour19671965–66[17]
John Lyng 196419652Conservative——
Erling Wikborg 196519695Christian Democratic——
Bernt Ingvaldsen 196719759Conservative19671967,
1968–75[17]
Helge Refsum 196719726Centre——
Helge Rognlien 196719737Liberal——
John Sanness 1970198112Labour1979–81—
Einar Hovdhaugen 197319731Centre——
Egil Aarvik 1974198916Christian Democratic1982–891976–81
Trygve Haugeland 1974198411Centre——
Sjur Lindebrække 197619816Conservative——
Else Germeten 197919846Labour——
Gidske Anderson 1982199312Labour19901981–90
1991–93
Francis Sejersted 1982199918Conservative1991–991990
Odvar Nordli 1985199612Labour——
Gunnar Stålsett 1985200219[note 5]Centre—2000–02
20122014
Kaare Sandegren 199019963[note 6]Labour——
Kåre Kristiansen 199119944Christian Democratic——
Hanna Kvanmo 1991200212Socialist Left—1993–98
Sissel Rønbeck 1994201118[note 7]Labour——
Gunnar Berge 199720026Labour2000–021999
Esther Kostøl 199719971Labour——
Inger-Marie Ytterhorn[18] 2000201718Progress——
Ole Danbolt Mjøs 200320086Christian Democratic2003–08—
Berge Furre 200320086Socialist Left—2003–08
Kaci Kullmann Five 2003201715Conservative2015–172009–15
Thorbjørn Jagland 2009202012Labour2009–15—
Ågot Valle[19] 200920113Socialist Left——
Berit Reiss-Andersen 2012202312Labour2017–2015–17
Henrik Syse 201520206Conservative—2018–
Anne Enger 201820203Centre——
Asle Toje 201820236Progress[20]——
Key
Current members in bold

Secretaries

Since 2015, the secretary has been Olav Njølstad (born 1957), director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, distinguished historian, biographer and novelist, and professor of history at the University of Oslo. He also was a member of the secretariat to the commission set by the Norwegian Parliament to critically evaluate the response to the 2011 Norway attacks.[21]

Secretary Start End Tenure (years)
Christian Lous Lange 190119099
Ragnvald Moe 1910194536
August Schou 1946197318
Tim Greve 197419774
Jakob Sverdrup 1978198912
Geir Lundestad 1990201425
Olav Njølstad 2015[21]present5

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Halvdan Koht did not serve from 1937 through 1940.[2]
  2. Birger Braadland did not serve in 1941.[2]
  3. Carl Joachim Hambro was on leave of absence in 1946.[2]
  4. Halvard Manthey Lange was on leave of absence in 1946.[2]
  5. Gunnar Stålsett did not serve in 1994.[2]
  6. Kaare Sandegren only served in 1990, during the last quarter of 1993 and the last quarter of 1996.[2]
  7. Rønbeck was on leave from October 1996 to November 1997.[2]

References
  1. Heffermehl, 2008: 53–54
  2. Nobel Foundation. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee 1901-2017". Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  3. Norwegian Nobel Institute. "The Nobel Institute". Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  4. Heffermehl, 2008: 84–85
  5. Helljesen, Geir. "Bare nordmenn i Nobelkomiteen". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  6. Norwegian Nobel Institute. "Committee members". Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  7. "Henrik Syse, professor II". Bjørknes College. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  8. "Nobel peace prize committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland demoted". The Guardian. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  9. Poole, Thom (5 March 2015). "Why has the Nobel Peace Prize chairman been demoted?". BBC. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  10. Parliament of Norway. "Thorbjørn Jagland" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  11. "Anne Enger Lahnstein". Norwegian Government. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  12. Nobel Foundation. "Kristiansen, Kåre Gulbrand". Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  13. Wiedswang, Kjetil. "The Other Nobel Controversy". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  14. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Aarsberetninger fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité 1900–1930 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  15. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Aarsberetninger fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité 1931–1945 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  16. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Aarsberetninger fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité 1946–1960 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  17. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Beretning fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité for 1961–1975 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  18. "Ytterhorn, Inger-Marie (1941-)". Stortinget. 14 February 2020.
  19. "Valle, Ågot (1945-)". Stortinget. 9 March 2008.
  20. "Progress Party finds a new Nobel man". News in English.no. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  21. "New Nobel boss hints at change". News in English.no. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2020.

Bibliography
  • Heffermehl, Fredrik (2008). Nobels vilje (in Norwegian). Oslo: Vidarforlaget. ISBN 978-82-7990-074-0.

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