John Lyng

Who was John Lyng?

John Daniel Lyng was a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 28 August to 25 September 1963 in a coalition government consisting of the Conservative, Centre, Christian Democratic, and Liberal parties. It was the first government in 28 years that was not headed by the Norwegian Labor Party.

Lyng was born in Trondheim, and graduated with the cand.jur. degree in 1927, and later studied in Copenhagen and Heidelberg. Before and after World War II he worked as a lawyer and a judge.

During the war he joined the Norwegian resistance movement against the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. He raised the mountain cabin Skardøla in Sylene, about 50 metres from the Norway-Sweden border. The cabin was used as an outpost by resistance fighters such as Odd Sørli, Johnny Pevik and Nils Uhlin Hansen. Lyng had to flee the country. He worked in the Norwegian legation in Stockholm's law office from 1943 to 1944, then in the Norwegian government administration-in-exile in London until 1945.

He was originally a member of the Liberal Left Party, heading the local party chapter from 1934 to 1935.