Kjell Knudsen is a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Labour Party

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....

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He was born in Jevnaker

Jevnaker

Jevnaker is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jevnaker with a population of 4,302.The parish of Jævnaker was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...

. He spent his working career from 1948 to 1973 in the Norwegian State Railways. From 1973 to 1977, during Bratteli's Second Cabinet and Nordli's Cabinet

Nordli's Cabinet

Nordli's Cabinet governed Norway between 15 January 1976 and 4 February 1981. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Odvar Nordli. It had the following composition:-Cabinet members:...

, Knudsen was appointed State Secretary

State Secretary (Norway)

In Norway, a State Secretary is a partisan political position within the executive branch of government. Contrary to the position Secretary of State in many other countries, the Norwegian State Secretary does not head his or her Ministry, rather, they are second in rank to a Minister...

 in the Ministry of Social Affairs. He worked in the secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers from 1977 to 1979. He was the director of the National Insurance Administration

National Insurance Service

The National Insurance Service was a Norwegian Norwegian government agency responsible for social security.-Organization:It had its roots in the National Insurance Administration , which was founded by parliamentary act on 23 July 1894 under the name Rigsforsikringsanstalten...

 from 1979 to 1991 before returning to the Ministry of Social Affairs.

He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Akershus

Akershus

- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...

 during the term 1965–1969. He served as county mayor of Akershus

Akershus county municipality

Akershus County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Akershus, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 35 upper secondary schools...

from 1969 to 1975.