Ebba Lodden

Ebba Lodden, née Sjuve (9 November 1913 – 14 January 1997) was a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Labour Party. She was the first female County Governor in Norway.

Early life and career

She was born in Tønsberg as a daughter of tailor Edvard Anton Sjuve and Asta Johanne Hansen (1888–1974). In 1936 she married Ingolf Lodden (1905–1962) and took his surname. In her early career she worked as a housemaid (for politician Claudia Olsen), factory worker, office clerk for the Norwegian Seafarers' Union before running a manufacturing business from 1942 to 1957. She was involved in the Norwegian resistance movement, and had joined the Workers' Youth League at the age of sixteen.^[1]

Later career

In 1945 she stood for election in the Market towns of Vestfold county.^[2] In the same year her husband was hired in the Arendal newspaper Tiden and the family moved there. Lodden was a member of Arendal city council from 1948 to 1963, serving as deputy mayor from 1954 to 1960.^[1] She served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Aust-Agder during the terms 1950–1953, 1958–1961 and 1961–1965.^[3] She was a national board member of the Labour Party for sixteen years. From 1972 to 1974 she was a member of Tønsberg city council.^[1]

She was a member of Statens Velferdsråd for handelsflåten from 1953 to 1971, and from 1960 to 1977 she was the leader of the Norwegian Consumer Council. She also had a parallel civil servant career, in Tønsberg municipality from 1963. From 1967 to 1974 she was the municipal director of social affairs.^[1] Her career as a public servant toned out with the post of County Governor of Aust-Agder, which she held from 1974 to 1983.^[3] She was the first female County Governor in Norway.^[1]

Lodden was a board member of Vestfold Hospital from 1968 to 1974, and chaired Rikshospitalet from 1978 to 1982.^[1] She also chaired the board of Statens edruskapsdirektorat, a predecessor of the Norwegian Directorate of Health, from 1980 to 1981. She was later deputy chair from 1982 to 1988, and a board member from 1989 to 1990.^[3]

In 1977 she was decorated as a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. She died in January 1997 in Tønsberg.^[1]

References

1. Stray Ryssdal, Signe Marie. "Ebba Lodden". In Helle, Knut. Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
2. Hjertholm, Sverre (1956). Arbeiderbevegelsen i Vestfold. Trekk fra den politiske og faglige arbeiderbevegelse 1906-1956 (in Norwegian). Vestfold Labour Party. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
3. "Ebba Lodden" (in Norwegian). Storting.