Karsten Torkildsen, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetKarsten Torkildsen
Norwegian trade unionist
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Oslo, Eastern Norway, Norway
About Karsten Torkildsen
- Karsten Ingemann Torkildsen (18 December 1896 – 26 February 1979) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Kristiania and married in 1932.
- He moved to Rjukan in 1915 and started his trade union career here as vice chair of the Rjukan faglige samorg in 1920.
- He also held this post in 1924 and 1925, and was deputy chair of Rjukan Labour Party in 1920.
- He was a deputy member of Tinn municipal council from 1919 to 1922 and councilman from 1928 to 1930.
- In 1927 and 1930 he chaired Rjukan faglige samorg.
- From 1930 to 1934 he was employed as secretary of Øvre Telemark faglige samorg and Telemark Labour Party.
- He moved to Notodden where he chaired the local party chapter from 1931 to 1934 and the co-op from 1933 to 1934.Nationwide he served as chairman of the Norwegian Union of Chemical Industry Workers from 1934 to 1945 and chairman from 1945 to 1963.
- As such was also a secretariat member of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.
- During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany (1940–1945), however, the trade union movement was usurped by the Nazis.
- Torkildsen fled to Sweden.
- Here, in 1942 he was elected as chair of the exiled branch of the Norwegian People's Aid.
- He later served as chairman here after the war, from 1947 to 1951.He was also given a multitude of other positions.
- From 1945 he was a member of Norges Eksportråd.
- In 1946 he was elected to the board of Norsk Folkeferie (until 1950) and the supervisory council of Norsk Hydro (until 1963).
- From 1947 he was a board member of Arbeidernes Landsbank and member of the Defence Commission of 1946.
- He died in February 1979 and was buried at Grefsen.
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