Helge Seip

Who was Helge Seip?

Helge Seip was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party and later the Liberal People's Party.

He was born in Surnadal. At a young age he became involved in the Young Liberals, the youth wing of the Liberal Party. In the local chapter of Oslo he was a member of the board from 1937 to 1939, and deputy chairman from 1939 to 1945. From 1945 to 1947 he was a board member of their national organization. In 1948 he became a deputy member of the Liberal Party national board, advancing to regular board member in 1952. He continued in this position, becoming national party leader in 1970.

He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Oslo in 1953, and was re-elected on three occasions in 1957, 1965 and 1969. In between he headed the Liberal ballot in the 1961 election, but the Liberals had no MPs elected. In 1965 he was appointed Minister of Local Government in the centre-right Borten's Cabinet. He left in 1970, and was replaced by Helge Rognlien.

During his fifth term as parliament member, in December 1972, Seip joined the Liberal People's Party which split from the Liberal Party over disagreements of Norway's proposed entry to the European Economic Community.