Jakob Friis
Encyclopedia
Jakob Johan Sigfrid Friis (27 April 1883 – 12 December 1956) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party
born in Røros
. He also belonged to the Communist Party for a period.
Outside of politics, he graduated with the cand.philol. degree in 1909, and spent his professional career as a journalist and a state archivist
. He was a journalist in Socialdemokraten from 1909 to 1912, Ny Tid
from 1915 to 1917, Arbeiderbladet from 1917 to 1924 and Norges Kommunistblad
from 1928 to 1929. He was also editor-in-chief of Rjukan Arbeiderblad from 1925 to 1928 and the working class encyclopedia Arbeidernes Leksikon
from 1930 to 1936. As a state archivist he worked in the National Archives
(Riksarkivet) from 1912 to 1915, followed by the regional state archives: in Trondhjem 1915-1917, Kristiania 1917-1922 and Kristiansand 1934-1953.
On the local level Friis was a member of Aker
municipal council between 1919 and 1922, and of Kristiansand
city council between 1937 and 1940. He chaired the municipal party chapter from 1936 to 1937.
Friis represented the Labour Party at the Second and Third Comintern World Congresses; he was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International
from 1920 to 1921. In 1923, Friis supported Martin Tranmæl
and withdrawal of the Labour Party from the Comintern. This saw the Communist Party break away from the Labour Party. However, Friis became a Communist Party member in 1928. He left the party in 1933, and rejoined Labour in 1936. Friis opposed the asylum for Leon Trotsky
to come to Norway in 1935 and campaigned against the former Bolshevik
leader when he lived in Oslo
.
After World War II Friis was elected to the Parliament of Norway from the Market towns of Vest-Agder and Rogaland counties
in 1945, and was re-elected on one occasion. He was still to be found on the left wing of the Labour Party, and was among the founders of the newspaper Orientering
in 1953, having published the book Kritikk av norsk utenrikspolitikk etter krigen in 1952. He was one of its chief editors until his death in 1956.
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
born in Røros
Røros
is a town and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Other villages include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen....
. He also belonged to the Communist Party for a period.
Outside of politics, he graduated with the cand.philol. degree in 1909, and spent his professional career as a journalist and a state archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
. He was a journalist in Socialdemokraten from 1909 to 1912, Ny Tid
Ny Tid (Trondheim)
Ny Tid was a Norwegian newspaper established in 1899 by the typographers Joh. Halseth and Alf Scheflo at the same time as they established their own printing office in Trondheim. The publishers meant to create a worker's newspaper, not a socialist paper...
from 1915 to 1917, Arbeiderbladet from 1917 to 1924 and Norges Kommunistblad
Norges Kommunistblad
Norges Kommunistblad was a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway.It was started on 5 November 1923 as the official party newspaper from the Communist Party, which was established that year after a split from the Labour Party. The first editor was Olav Scheflo...
from 1928 to 1929. He was also editor-in-chief of Rjukan Arbeiderblad from 1925 to 1928 and the working class encyclopedia Arbeidernes Leksikon
Arbeidernes Leksikon
Arbeidernes Leksikon is a Norwegian encyclopedia published in six volumes in the 1930s.It was the first reference book in Norwegian to have a pronounced class bias, and the first encyclopedia outside of the Soviet Union to be directed specifically at the working class...
from 1930 to 1936. As a state archivist he worked in the National Archives
National Archives of Norway
The National Archives of Norway is the institution responsible for preserving archive material from Norwegian state institutions, as well as contributing to the preservation of private archives. It does this work in cooperation with the regional state archives, together with which it forms the...
(Riksarkivet) from 1912 to 1915, followed by the regional state archives: in Trondhjem 1915-1917, Kristiania 1917-1922 and Kristiansand 1934-1953.
On the local level Friis was a member of Aker
Aker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
municipal council between 1919 and 1922, and of Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
city council between 1937 and 1940. He chaired the municipal party chapter from 1936 to 1937.
Friis represented the Labour Party at the Second and Third Comintern World Congresses; he was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International
Executive Committee of the Communist International
The Executive Committee of the Communist International, commonly known by its acronym, ECCI, was the governing authority of the Comintern between the World Congresses of that body...
from 1920 to 1921. In 1923, Friis supported Martin Tranmæl
Martin Tranmæl
Martin Olsen Tranmæl was a radical Norwegian socialist leader.-Biography:Martin Tranmæl grew up in a middle-sized farm in Melhus, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. He started working as a painter and construction worker. In the early 20th century, Tranmæl lived for a while in the USA where he came...
and withdrawal of the Labour Party from the Comintern. This saw the Communist Party break away from the Labour Party. However, Friis became a Communist Party member in 1928. He left the party in 1933, and rejoined Labour in 1936. Friis opposed the asylum for Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
to come to Norway in 1935 and campaigned against the former Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
leader when he lived in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
After World War II Friis was elected to the Parliament of Norway from the Market towns of Vest-Agder and Rogaland counties
Market towns of Vest-Agder and Rogaland counties
The Market towns of Vest-Agder and Rogaland counties was an electoral district for parliamentary elections in Norway. It comprised the market towns of Flekkefjord, Kristiansand and Mandal in Vest-Agder county and Haugesund and Stavanger in Rogaland county....
in 1945, and was re-elected on one occasion. He was still to be found on the left wing of the Labour Party, and was among the founders of the newspaper Orientering
Orientering
Orientering was a Norwegian newspaper which was initially published in December 1952 as an alternative voice. It was absorbed into Ny Tid in 1975....
in 1953, having published the book Kritikk av norsk utenrikspolitikk etter krigen in 1952. He was one of its chief editors until his death in 1956.