Harald Ulrik Sverdrup

Who was Harald Ulrik Sverdrup?

Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was a Norwegian priest and politician.

He was born at Jarlsberg Manor in Vestfold. His brother Johan Sverdrup would found the Liberal Party and become Prime Minister of Norway in 1884.

He graduated as cand.theol. in 1837, and worked as a senior technical officer at the University Library of Oslo from 1837 to 1845. In 1845 he was appointed to a clerical position, that of chaplain in Leikanger. In 1849 the district of Balestrand was separated from Leikanger as an own parish, and Sverdrup became vicar of the new parish. He published several works, mostly based on Erik Pontoppidan's explanation of the Luther's Small Catechism.

As his brother, Harald Ulrik Sverdrup became involved in politics. When Balestrand became a municipality of its own in 1849, Sverdrup became its first mayor. He sat as mayor until 1879. He was among the establishers of the local savings bank in 1847, and of the transport company Nordre Bergenhus Amts Dampskibe with Jan Henrik Nitter Hansen and Michael Aubert in 1858.

He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1851, representing the constituency of Nordre Bergenhus Amt. He was re-elected in 1854, 1857, 1859, 1862, 1865 and 1868.