Kjeld Stub Irgens
Encyclopedia
Kjeld Stub Irgens was a Norwegian
politician during the German occupation of Norway
.
Jens Stub Irgens and his wife Sophie Cathinka, née Altschwager. He had several brothers and sisters. He was a distant relative of eighteenth-century bishop Ole Irgens
and politicians Ole
and Johannes Irgens
.
by profession, Irgens had received his education in the Royal Norwegian Navy
, which he left with the rank of First Lieutenant
in 1903. From 1913 onwards Irgens worked for the Norwegian America Line
(NAL) shipping company, in 1918 assuming command of the NAL's 12,977 GRT passenger ship
SS Stavangerfjord. In 1921 Irgens purchased the island of Ravnøy in Vestfold
on behalf of the crew of Stavangerfjord, as a holiday resort at which to spend time with their families after spending long periods of time at sea. The 270-decare property, located between the island of Nøtterøy
and Stokke
on the mainland, was bought at a price of 10,000 Norwegian krone
r and later transferred to the Norwegian America Line. The shipping company remained in ownership of the island until 1983 when it was sold on to the Holiday Resort Ravnøy Foundation .
reached Norway in 1940. However, he was married to a sister of Albert Viljam Hagelin
, a leading member of Nasjonal Samling, and one day after the German invasion he was summoned by Hagelin and Vidkun Quisling
to Hagelin's suite at the Hotel Continental
in Oslo. Here, he was asked to persuade King Haakon VII
to abdicate and to name Quisling as Prime Minister
. Together with Curt Bräuer
he traveled to Elverum
to negotiate, but his efforts proved fruitless. On his way to Elverum Irgens encountered some members of the Storting at Hamar Station
, stating his intention to meet with the King. Irgens arrived at Elverum late in the evening of 10 April, being allowed to sleep in Minister Hjelmtveit's
bed for a few hours before seeing the King the next morning. The meeting led nowhere, as the final Norwegian decision to resist the invasion had already been taken the previous day. The Norwegian government refused Quisling's demands and vowed to resist the German invasion as long as possible.
Josef Terboven
formed a cabinet on 25 September 1940, Irgens accepted the position as provisional Minister of Shipping. The Ministry of Shipping was a government ministry established specifically for Irgens on the insistence of Terboven, as Irgens was considered close to Haakon VII. Because of Irgens' relations with the exiled Norwegian king Terboven strongly wished to include him in his administration. At the same time he enrolled as a party member of Nasjonal Samling. From the beginning of Irgens' work at the Ministry of Shipping he successfully defended the part of the Norwegian merchant fleet left in the occupied country against German attempts at taking the ships as prizes
. As of September 1941 his position was no longer provisional. On 1 February 1942 Quisling was allowed by the occupants to form his own cabinet
; Irgens continued as Minister of Shipping. He was removed on 12 June 1944 together with Eivind Stenersen Blehr for emphasizing Norwegian nationalism rather than Pan-Germanic
national socialism. Irgens had also come under criticism for hesitating to accept members of Nasjonal Samling joining his ministry. At the same time the Ministry of Shipping ceased to exist.
, in 1945, Irgens was sentenced to seven years of forced labour. The case was taken to the Supreme Court
in 1946, where the sentencing was increased to fifteen years. He died in 1963.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
politician during the German occupation of Norway
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
.
Early life
He was born in 1879 to vicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
Jens Stub Irgens and his wife Sophie Cathinka, née Altschwager. He had several brothers and sisters. He was a distant relative of eighteenth-century bishop Ole Irgens
Ole Irgens (bishop)
Ole Irgens was a bishop in the Church of Norway.He was born in Surendal to vicar Johannes Irgens. He enrolled as a student in 1741, but was examined two years later and was hired as chaplain under his father. He left in 1756 to become a ship's priest in Morocco, but citing health problems, he...
and politicians Ole
Ole Irgens (politician)
Ole Irgens was a Norwegian politician.He was a relative of the eighteenth century bishop of the same name. He enrolled as a student in 1848 and graduated as cand.theol. in 1853. While working as a school inspector in Bergen he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament, in 1868...
and Johannes Irgens
Johannes Irgens
Johannes Irgens was a Norwegian barrister, diplomat and politician, noted for his service as minister of foreign affairs of Norway from 1910 to 1913.-Personal life:...
.
Sea-faring career
A sea captainCaptain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
by profession, Irgens had received his education in the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
, which he left with the rank of First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in 1903. From 1913 onwards Irgens worked for the Norwegian America Line
Norwegian America Line
Norwegian America Line , was a cruise ship line, originally an operator of passenger and cargo ships. Founded in 1910, the company ran a regular transatlantic service between Norway and the United States, and later to East Africa as well....
(NAL) shipping company, in 1918 assuming command of the NAL's 12,977 GRT passenger ship
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
SS Stavangerfjord. In 1921 Irgens purchased the island of Ravnøy in Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
on behalf of the crew of Stavangerfjord, as a holiday resort at which to spend time with their families after spending long periods of time at sea. The 270-decare property, located between the island of Nøtterøy
Nøtterøy
Nøtterøy is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Borgheim.The parish of Nøtterø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
and Stokke
Stokke
Stokke is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stokke.-Background:The municipality of Stokke was established on 1 January 1838...
on the mainland, was bought at a price of 10,000 Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
r and later transferred to the Norwegian America Line. The shipping company remained in ownership of the island until 1983 when it was sold on to the Holiday Resort Ravnøy Foundation .
Negotiations during the German invasion
He was not involved with the Norwegian Nazi party, Nasjonal Samling, before the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
reached Norway in 1940. However, he was married to a sister of Albert Viljam Hagelin
Albert Viljam Hagelin
Albert Viljam Hagelin was a Norwegian businessman and opera singer who became the Minister of Domestic Affairs in the Quisling regime, the puppet government headed by Vidkun Quisling during Germany's World War II occupation of Norway....
, a leading member of Nasjonal Samling, and one day after the German invasion he was summoned by Hagelin and Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
to Hagelin's suite at the Hotel Continental
Hotel Continental, Oslo
Hotel Continental is a hotel in Oslo, Norway, that opened in 1900.The background story of the Continental is like an old fairytale, about a young couple, who through their hard work and entrepreneurship created a monument that will live for many years. It all started in Sweden in 1860, with the...
in Oslo. Here, he was asked to persuade King Haakon VII
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
to abdicate and to name Quisling as Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Norway
The Prime Minister of Norway is the political leader of Norway and the Head of His Majesty's Government. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Stortinget , to their political party, and ultimately the...
. Together with Curt Bräuer
Curt Bräuer
Curt Bräuer was a German career diplomat.Born in Breslau, in what is modern-day Poland, Bräuer entered service in the German foreign ministry in 1920. At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Bräuer was posted at the German embassy in Paris. Later that year, Bräuer was named as envoy to...
he traveled to Elverum
Elverum
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum...
to negotiate, but his efforts proved fruitless. On his way to Elverum Irgens encountered some members of the Storting at Hamar Station
Hamar Station
Hamar Station is a railway station located in downtown Hamar, Norway, on the Dovre Line and the Røros Line. The station was opened in 1862 with the construction of the narrow gauge railway between Hamar and Eidsvoll...
, stating his intention to meet with the King. Irgens arrived at Elverum late in the evening of 10 April, being allowed to sleep in Minister Hjelmtveit's
Nils Hjelmtveit
Nils Hjelmtveit was a Norwegian educator and politician for the Labour Party. He was mayor of Stokken, MP from 1925 to 1930, Minister of Education and Church Affairs from 1935 to 1945 and County Governor of Aust-Agder from 1945 to 1961.-Early career:He was born at Hopland in Alversund as a son of...
bed for a few hours before seeing the King the next morning. The meeting led nowhere, as the final Norwegian decision to resist the invasion had already been taken the previous day. The Norwegian government refused Quisling's demands and vowed to resist the German invasion as long as possible.
Collaborationist minister
When ReichskommissarReichskommissar
Reichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
Josef Terboven
Josef Terboven
Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven was a Nazi leader, best known as the Reichskommissar during the German occupation of Norway.-Early life:...
formed a cabinet on 25 September 1940, Irgens accepted the position as provisional Minister of Shipping. The Ministry of Shipping was a government ministry established specifically for Irgens on the insistence of Terboven, as Irgens was considered close to Haakon VII. Because of Irgens' relations with the exiled Norwegian king Terboven strongly wished to include him in his administration. At the same time he enrolled as a party member of Nasjonal Samling. From the beginning of Irgens' work at the Ministry of Shipping he successfully defended the part of the Norwegian merchant fleet left in the occupied country against German attempts at taking the ships as prizes
Prize (law)
Prize is a term used in admiralty law to refer to equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of prize in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and its cargo as a prize of war. In the past, it was common that the capturing force would be allotted...
. As of September 1941 his position was no longer provisional. On 1 February 1942 Quisling was allowed by the occupants to form his own cabinet
Quisling regime
The Quisling regime, or the Quisling government are common names used to refer to the collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling in occupied Norway during the Second World War. The official name of the regime from 1 February 1942 until its dissolution in May 1945 was Nasjonale regjering...
; Irgens continued as Minister of Shipping. He was removed on 12 June 1944 together with Eivind Stenersen Blehr for emphasizing Norwegian nationalism rather than Pan-Germanic
Pan-Germanism
Pan-Germanism is a pan-nationalist political idea. Pan-Germanists originally sought to unify the German-speaking populations of Europe in a single nation-state known as Großdeutschland , where "German-speaking" was taken to include the Low German, Frisian and Dutch-speaking populations of the Low...
national socialism. Irgens had also come under criticism for hesitating to accept members of Nasjonal Samling joining his ministry. At the same time the Ministry of Shipping ceased to exist.
Post-World War II
As part of the legal purge in Norway after the warLegal purge in Norway after World War II
When the occupation of Norway ended in May 1945, several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for various acts that the occupying powers sanctioned...
, in 1945, Irgens was sentenced to seven years of forced labour. The case was taken to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Norway
The Supreme Court of Norway was established in 1815 on the basis of the Constitution of Norway's §88, prescribing an independent judiciary. It is located in Oslo and is Norway's highest court...
in 1946, where the sentencing was increased to fifteen years. He died in 1963.