Konrad Knudsen

Konrad Gustav Knudsen (born August 19, 1890 in Drammen , † June 16, 1959 ) was a Norwegian painter , journalist and member of parliament . He became known for inviting Leon Trotsky to Norway to grant him asylum .

Konrad Knudsen was the son of a painter. He studied auditing ( Handelsskole ) and worked as a painter in Drammen before traveling to the USA in 1908 . There he earned his living as a painter, lumberjack and construction worker. He eventually became the editor of a regional newspaper that appeared in the Norwegian language .

In 1920 Knudsen returned to Drammen. He worked as a master painter until 1923, when he got a job as editor of the Fremtiden newspaper . From 1921 he held various positions within the Labor Party . In 1937 he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament , to which he was a member until 1957.

In 1935 he invited Leon Trotsky to Norway. Trotsky initially lived in Knudsen's house in Norderhov, outside the small town of Hønefoss . After a break-in by Norwegian fascists, the government intervened and Trotsky moved on the orders of the Justice Minister and later UN Secretary-General Trygve Lie .

During the Second World War Knudsen stayed first in Sweden , then in Canada and finally in the USA. He worked for an information service of the Norwegian government and the Norwegian Supreme Audit Office.

From 1949 to 1957 he was Norway's chief auditor.

Web links

• Biography on Parliament's website (Norwegian)
• Trotsky in Norway