Sofus Arctander

Sofus Anton Birger Arctander (22 January 1845 – 20 August 1924) was a politician with the Liberal Party who served as acting Prime Minister of Norway during 1905.^[1]

Sofus Arctander
Minister of Trade
In office 2 February 1910 – 11 June 1910
Prime Minister	Wollert Konow
Preceded by	Lars Abrahamsen
Succeeded by	Bernhard Brænne
In office 11 March 1905 – 19 March 1908
Prime Minister	Christian Michelsen Jørgen Løvland
Preceded by	Paul B. Vogt
Succeeded by	Lars Abrahamsen
Prime Minister of Norway Acting
In office 31 August 1905 – 23 September 1905
Prime Minister	Christian Michelsen
Preceded by	Christian Michelsen
Succeeded by	Christian Michelsen
Minister of the Interior
In office 15 August 1886 – 17 February 1888
Prime Minister	Johan Sverdrup
Preceded by	Jacob Stang
Succeeded by	Walter Scott Dahl
In office 26 June 1884 – 15 August 1885
Prime Minister	Johan Sverdrup
Preceded by	Thomas Cathinco Bang
Succeeded by	Jacob Stang
Personal details
Born	Sofus Anton Birger Arctander (1845-01-22)22 January 1845 Christiania, United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
Died	20 August 1924(1924-08-20) (aged 79) Lifjell, Telemark, Norway
Party	Liberal Free-minded Liberal
Spouse	Maren Sophie Aars (m. 1881)
Children	Signy Arctander

Background

Sofus Arctander was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Hans Steenbuch Arctander (1801-1885) and Martha Dahll Nielsen (1804-1896). When he was eight years old, his family moved to Kristiansand in Lister og Mandal county. He was a teacher and librarian in Selje Municipality and Eid Municipality. He received a law degree from the University of Christiania in 1870, then studied economy and philosophy at the University of Lund in 1871.

Arctander lived at Hadsel Municipality in Nordland county (1872-1884). He was deputy judge and then acting district stipendiary magistrate before establishing himself as a lawyer in 1875. In 1880 he became bailiff in Hadsel.^[2]

Political career

In 1877, Arctander was elected deputy Member of the Parliament of Norway for the County of Nordland. From 1880 to 1884 he was a permanent member. He participated actively in the founding of the Liberal Party in 1882. Arctander was re-elected to Parliament for the period 1889-1891 and 1900-1906. He subsequently become mayor of Kristiania 1908-1920.

He was Minister of the Interior 1884–1885, Norwegian state secretary in Stockholm 1885–1886, Minister of the Interior 1886-1888, Norwegian Minister of Trade 1905–1907, acting Prime Minister 1905 and Minister of Trade 1907–1908 and 1910.^[3]

Personal life

In 1887, he was promoted to Commander with Star (Commander 1st Class) of the Order of St. Olav. Arctander also was appointed a Grand Cross of the Order of Dannebrog (Denmark) and a Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (Sweden). He was an honorary member and co-founder of the Nordlendingenes Forening, an association of people who have emigrated from the counties in Northern Norway. In 1912 he was awarded the Petter Dass Medal (Petter Dass-medaljen). Arctander died in the Lifjell Mountains of Telemark one day in August 1924, the exact date uncertain. He had been missing for some days when he was found dead.^[4]

He was married in 1881 with Maren Sophie Aars (1849-1940), daughter of Jens Ludvig Aars (1808-1855) and Annette Lund (1818-1855). They were the parents of Signy Arctander.^[5][6]