Jacob Vidnes

Who was Jacob Vidnes?

Jacob Laurentius Vidnes was a Norwegian trade unionist, newspaper editor, politician for the Labour Party and civil servant.

He was born in Vanylven as a son of farmer Knud Larsen Vidnes og Laurine Knudsdatter. In May 1929 he married hotelier's daughter Sigrid Birkeland, who after the death of Vidnes married Arne Ording.

He graduated from Volda Teachers' College in 1896, moved to Oslo as subeditor of Arbeideren in 1898 and was hired in the Labour Party main newspaper Social-Demokraten in 1899. In 1900 he was a co-founder and first chairman of Kristiania socialdemokratiske Ungdomslag. He was then one of the founders of Norges Socialdemokratiske Ungdomsforbund in 1903.

In 1909 he founded the trade union Norges Socialdemokratiske Presseforening, for all employees in the social democratic press. He was also a board member of the Norwegian Press Association. He had advanced to subeditor, and was from 1912 to 1918 the editor-in-chief of Social-Demokraten. He represented the Labour Party in Kristiania city council from 1914 to 1919, and was a member of its central board from 1912. From 1913 to 1918 he was also a member of the International Socialist Bureau.