Johan Bernhard Hjort

Who was Johan Bernhard Hjort?

Johan Bernhard Hjort was a Norwegian supreme court lawyer. Having joined the law firm of Harald Nørregaard in 1932, he continued the firm after WWII as Advokatfirmaet Hjort, which today is one of Norway's leading law firms. Hjort was also noted for his involvement with the fascist party Nasjonal Samling in the 1930s, but left the party in 1937 and became an active member of the anti-Nazi resistance during WWII, was imprisoned by the Nazis and is credited with saving the lives of many prisoners through his involvement with the White Buses. After WWII, he rose to become one of Norway's preeminent lawyers, and was noted for his defence of gay rights and controversial artists, as chairman of the Riksmålsforbundet language society, and as a liberal public figure.