Niels Mathias Rye

Who was Niels Mathias Rye?

Niels Mathias Rye was a Norwegian politician.

He was born at Bø i Telemark in 1824, as the son of Lieutenant Colonel Johan Mathias Rye and Christiane Elisabeth Sparre, née Gasmann. He married Thale Cathrine Rye, daughter of former President of the Storting Johan Henrik Rye.

Having graduated as cand.jur. from the University of Christiania in 1846, he started a career as a civil servant in Norwegian government ministries. He started as a clerk in the Ministry of the Interior, who handled postal affairs. He eventually advanced to higher positions, being appointed head of division in the General Post Directorate in 1857. This agency existed only from 1857 to 1860. In 1860 he moved to the Ministry of the Navy and Postal Affairs, the new name of the ministry following a restructure, and became deputy secretary in 1863.

In 1869 Rye left his position to become County Governor of Søndre Bergenhus. In 1877 he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament, representing the constituency of Bergen. He served a two-year term, but was not re-elected. Instead he returned to a post as County Governor, this time in Bratsberg to which he had been appointed in 1877. In 1880 he moved on to be County Governor of Kristiania diocese county.