Francis Kjeldsberg
Francis Kjeldsberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Trondhjem, Norway |
| Died | May 24, 1948 (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1890–1945 |
| Known for | Owner of R. Kjeldsberg, Mayor of Trondheim, Vice consul and Consul for the United Kingdom |
Francis Kjeldsberg, OBE, MVO (10 February 1869 – 24 May 1948), was a prominent Norwegian entrepreneur and a politician affiliated with the Conservative Party.
He was born in Trondhjem to Rasmus Flor Kjeldsberg, a consul, and Harriet Southern. In 1899, he married Margrethe Berg, thereby establishing a family connection to the merchant Claus Nissen Riiber Berg. Their daughter, Harriet, became the wife of chief physician Odd Kjeldsberg Stub.
Kjeldsberg completed his education at Kristiania Commerce School in 1887 and pursued further studies abroad for one year. He entered the family business R. Kjeldsberg in 1890 and assumed ownership from 1897 until 1927. Alongside his commercial activities, he held diplomatic positions for the United Kingdom, serving as vice consul starting in 1897 and later as consul between 1931 and 1945. His services were recognized with appointments as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in 1906 and as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. From 1927 to 1937, he was the manager of Vinmonopolet’s Trondheim branch.
From 1923 onward, Kjeldsberg chaired the board of R. Kjeldsberg. He also led the supervisory council of Trondhjems Realkreditbank from 1915 to 1942. His governance roles extended to board membership at Privatbanken i Trondhjem (1918–1934), Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab (1927–1942 and again in 1945), and he was part of the supervisory council for Trondhjems Sparebank between 1905 and 1942.
In the political arena, Kjeldsberg took part in the electoral college in 1903 and was an active member of Trondhjem city council from 1911 to 1928. He held leadership positions including deputy mayor from 1920 to 1921 and mayor in 1922. Additionally, he served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament representing Market towns of Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndelag counties during the term from 1924 to 1927, attending parliamentary sessions in both 1926 and 1927.
During Norway’s occupation by Nazi Germany, Kjeldsberg was briefly detained at Vollan concentration camp in October 1940. He passed away in May 1948.