Trygve Lie

Trygve Halvdan Lie ( /ˌtɾygʋə 'li:ə/ (info • help)) (16 July 1896 – 30 December 1968) was a Norwegian politician. From 1946 to 1952 he was the first elected Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Trygve Lie
Trygve Lie in 1938
1st Secretary-General of the United Nations
In office 2 February 1946 – 10 November 1952
Preceded by	Gladwyn Jebb (acting)
Succeeded by	Dag Hammarskjöld
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 19 November 1940 – 2 February 1946
Monarch	Haakon VII
Prime Minister	Johan Nygaardsvold Einar Gerhardsen
Preceded by	Halvdan Koht
Succeeded by	Halvard Lange
Minister of Justice
In office 20 March 1935 – 1 July 1939
Prime Minister	Johan Nygaardsvold
Preceded by	Arne Sunde
Succeeded by	Terje Wold
Minister of Trade and Industry
In office 4 July 1963 – 28 August 1963
Prime Minister	Einar Gerhardsen
Preceded by	Kjell Holler
Succeeded by	Kaare Meland
In office 25 September 1963 – 20 January 1964
Prime Minister	Einar Gerhardsen
Preceded by	Kaare Meland
Succeeded by	Karl Trasti
Minister of Trade and Shipping
In office 20 January 1964 – 12 October 1965
Prime Minister	Einar Gerhardsen
Preceded by	Erik Himle
Succeeded by	Kåre Willoch
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
In office 1 January 1937 – 31 December 1949
Constituency	Oslo
Personal details
Born	Trygve Halvdan Lie (1896-07-16)16 July 1896 Oslo, Norway, United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
Died	30 December 1968(1968-12-30) (aged 72) Geilo, Norway
Nationality	Norwegian
Political party	Norwegian Labour Party
Spouse(s)	Hjørdis Jørgensen (married 1921, died 1960)
Children	Sissel, Guri, Mette
Signature

Early life

Lie was born in Oslo (then Kristiania) on 16 July 1896. He joined the Labour Party in 1911 and was named as the party's national secretary soon after getting his law degree from the University of Oslo in 1919. He married Hjørdis Jørgensen in 1921; the couple had three daughters, Sissel, Guri, and Mette.

Political career

Later he was elected to the Storting (Norway's Parliament). He was appointed Minister of Justice when a Labour Party government was formed by Johan Nygaardsvold in 1935. Lie was later named Minister of Trade and Industries and Minister of Supply and Shipping.

In 1940, when Norway was invaded by Germany, Lie ordered all Norwegian ships to sail to Allied ports. Lie was named as Foreign Minister of the Norwegian government-in-exile.

Selection as UN Secretary General

Lie led the Norwegian delegation (group) to the United Nations conference in San Francisco in 1946 and was a leader in drafting the rules to set up the United Nations Security Council. He was the leader of the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations general assembly in 1946. On February 1, 1946, he was elected as the first United Nations Secretary-General as a result of a compromise between the major powers, having only missed being elected President of the first General Assembly by a small margin. He gets much of the credit for securing the current site for the United Nations headquarters from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and establishing the offices there.

As Secretary General

As Secretary General, Lie supported the foundation of Israel and Indonesia. He worked for the withdrawal of Soviet forces in Iran and a stop to fighting in Kashmir. He attracted the anger of the Soviet Union when he helped gather support for the defence of South Korea after it was invaded in 1950 and later worked to end the Soviet boycott of UN meetings, though his involvement has only little to do with the eventual return of the Soviet Union to the UN. He was opposed to Spain's entry into the United Nations because of his opposition to the Franco government. He also sought to have the People's Republic of China recognized by the United Nations after the Nationalist government was exiled to Taiwan, arguing that the People's Republic was the only government which could fulfill the membership obligations in full. This did not happen until the 1970s.

He has been criticized for his failures to facilitate negotiation in the Berlin Blockade, as well as his failure to bring about a more swift end to the Korean War. His critics argue that he was under the influence of a select few in the UN Secretariat. He has also been criticized for his arrogance and stubbornness.

Over objections from the Soviet Union, his term of office was extended by the General Assembly 46 - 5 in 1950. This was the result of a Security Council impasse, in which the US refused to accept any candidate but Lie, and the Soviet Union's absolute refusal to accept him again, due to his involvement in the Korean War. The Soviet Union refused to acknowledge him as secretary general in his second term, and after having been accused by Joseph McCarthy of hiring "disloyal" Americans (an allegation which he attributed to the rapid hiring of civil servants necessary after the creation of the organization), Lie resigned on November 10, 1952.

Later life

Lie remained active in Norwegian politics after his resignation from the UN. He was the Governor of Oslo and Akershus, Chairman of the Board of Energy, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Trade.

Death

Lie died on December 30, 1968 of a heart attack. He was 72 years old.

Trygve Lie Media

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  Resignation of Lie in November 1952

Other websites

• Official U.N.S.G.biography
• Trygve Lie Gallery Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine in New York

Preceded by Arne Sunde	Norwegian Minister of Justice and the Police 1935 – 1939	Succeeded by Terje Wold
Preceded by Halvdan Koht	Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs 1940 – 1946	Succeeded by Halvard Lange
Preceded by 'Gladwyn Jebb' (acting), United Kingdom	United Nations Secretary-General 1946 – 1952	Succeeded by Dag Hammarskjöld Sweden
Preceded by Kjell Holler	Norwegian Minister of Industry 1963	Succeeded by Kaare Meland
Preceded by Kaare Meland	Norwegian Minister of Industry 1963 – 1964	Succeeded by Karl Trasti
Preceded by Erik Himle	Norwegian Minister of Trade and Shipping 1964 – 1965	Succeeded by Kåre Willoch