Johan Cappelen
Norwegian lawyer and politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johan Cappelen (25 February 1889 – 18 October 1947) was a Norwegian lawyer and politician for the Conservative Party.
Einar Gerhardsen
Johan Cappelen | |
|---|---|
| |
| County Governor of Sør-Trøndelag | |
| In office 16 January 1940 – 18 October 1947 Deposed from 1940–1945. | |
| Monarch | Haakon VII |
| Prime Minister | Johan Nygaardsvold Einar Gerhardsen |
| Preceded by | Odd Klingenberg |
| Succeeded by | Ivar Skjånes |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 25 June 1945 – 5 November 1945 | |
| Prime Minister | Einar Gerhardsen |
| Preceded by | Terje Wold |
| Succeeded by | O. C. Gundersen |
| Mayor of Trondheim | |
| In office 1 January 1931 – 31 December 1934 | |
| Preceded by | Andreas Moe |
| Succeeded by | Harald Pedersen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 February 1889 |
| Died | 18 October 1947 (aged 58) |
| Party | Conservative Free-minded Liberal |
| Spouse | Hjørdis Mack Floer |
| Children | 5[1] |
He was born in Skogn Municipality[2] as a son of physician Johan Christian Severin Cappelen (1855–1936) and Katharina M. Steen (1859–1915). He had one sister and one brother. He was a nephew of physician Axel Hermansen Cappelen.[3]
He graduated from the Royal Frederick University with cand.jur. degree in 1911. He worked as a deputy judge,[citation needed] and from 1915, attorney in Trondhjem. He was barrister[4] with access to work with Supreme Court from 1922.[2]
As a politician Cappelen was elected to Trondhjem city council, serving as mayor from 1931 to 1934. In 1940 he was appointed County Governor of Sør-Trøndelag. However, due to the German occupation of Norway Cappelen was removed in the autumn of 1940.[2]
In 1942 he joined the "Five Man Committee" in Trøndelag which was going to build the resistance group Sivorg. He was a close contact of Ferdinand Schjelderup in Kretsen. In 1943 he was denounced by Henry Rinnan when the Thingstad Group was discovered.[5] He was arrested in March 1943 and imprisoned in Vollan and Falstad.[6] After falling ill he was transferred to Innherred Hospital, where he managed to continue his resistance work with contacts to Trondheim.[5] However, in March 1945 he was transferred to Grini concentration camp and remained there until the war's end.[6]
When the occupation ended in 1945, Cappelen was appointed Minister of Justice and the Police in the non-partisan coalition government Gerhardsen's First Cabinet. This cabinet lasted from June to November 1945, when a general election was held and the Gerhardsen's Second Cabinet assumed office. Cappelen was then reinstated as County Governor of Sør-Trøndelag, a post he held until his death in 1947.[2]