About Trygve Lie
Born on July 16, 1896 in
Oslo, Norway, he was educated at Oslo University where he obtained
a law degree in 1919. In 1921, he married Hjørdis Jørgensen. They
had three children: Sissel, Guri and Mette.
For three decades, he was
active in the Norwegian Labor Party serving in various posts.
Moving from legal advisory capacities, he became Minister of
Justice for the years 1935 to 1939 and became Minister of Trade and
Industries in 1939. When the Second World War broke out, he became
Minister of Supply and Shipping. In that capacity, following the
Nazi invasion, he developed the provisional measures that saved the
huge Norwegian merchant fleet which became so instrumental in
assuring victory for the Allies.
He became a member of the
Norwegian Storting/Parliament in 1936, acting Foreign Minister in
1940 and was appointed Foreign Minister in 1941.
In 1945, it would be Trygve
Lie who led the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations
Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, where he
would serve as Chairman of Commission III for drafting the Security
Council provisions of the Charter.
Trygve Lie was also Chairman
of the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly
in London in January 1946, immediately before his being named first
Secretary-General, February 1, 1946.