Bente Bakke

She was born in Oslo as a daughter of shipbroker Rolv Dahl-Jørgensen (1904–1980) and housewife Ragnhild Bjørneby (1908–2003).^[1] She was a paternal granddaughter of politician Erling Jørgensen.^[2] She finished secondary school in 1961 and Oslo Commerce School in 1962, and worked as a secretary in Oslo, London and Mysen. She was a journalist in Østfold Bygdeblad from 1980 to 1981 and edited the magazine KFB-bladet from 1991 to 2001.^[1]

From 1973 she was a member of the New People's Party for one year.^[3] She then joined the Conservative Party in 1974.^[4] She was a member of Eidsberg municipal council from 1975 to 1979, and chaired the local party chapter from 1978 to 1979. She served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Østfold during the term 1981–1985, but during the entire term she filled in for Svenn Stray who was a cabinet member. She was elected as a full representative in 1985, and sat through the four-year term. In 1990 she released her memoirs from Parliament.^[1]

She was a supervisory council member of the Norwegian Cancer Society from 1990 to 1995 and a member of Statens kulturminneråd from 1991 to 1996.^[1] In 2011 she left the Conservative Party and joined the Green Party.^[4] She is also active in the campaigns to stop Statoil's tar sand projects in Canada. She resides in Vestby.