John Lyng

John Lyng
Prime Minister of Norway
In office 28 August 1963 – 25 September 1963
Monarch	Olav V
Preceded by	Einar Gerhardsen
Succeeded by	Einar Gerhardsen
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 12 October 1965 – 22 May 1970
Prime Minister	Per Borten
Preceded by	Halvard Lange
Succeeded by	Svenn Stray
Personal details
Born	John Johan Daniel Fürstenberg Lyng 22 August 1905 Trondheim
Died	18 January 1978 Bærum
Nationality	Norwegian
Political party	Conservative Party
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Church of Norway

 John Daniel Lyng (22 August 1905 – 18 January 1978) 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.

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. He was a member of the executive committee of Trondheim city council from 1934 to 1940 and in 1945. In 1945 he had changed to the Conservative Party, heading the party chapter in Trondheim until 1947. Lyng was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from the Market towns of Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndelag counties in 1945, and was re-elected in 1953. He was then out of parliament for one term, before being elected again in 1958 and 1961, this time from Akershus. From 1955 to 1959 he was a member of Skien city council.

His brief stint as Prime Minister came in August 1963 after the two representatives from the Socialist People's Party joined a slim 76-74 no confidence vote against the Labour cabinet Gerhardsen following the Kings Bay Affair, a series of mining accidents at Ny Ålesund. The socialist vote of no confidence was merely a protest and demonstration, and the Labour cabinet was restored a month later. While Lyng was Prime Minister Ebba Haslund took his seat in parliament.

Although the cabinet Lyng failed to govern for more than a month it did prove that the non-Socialist parties were capable of making a coalition, and following the Norwegian parliamentary election, 1965 the centre-right coalition again assumed power with Per Borten as Prime Minister, and John Lyng as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was replaced by Svenn Stray in 1970.

Lyng held the post of County Governor of Oslo and Akershus from 1964 to 1965. He is also remembered for his infamous hard line on the European Union which he said would bring politics as we know it to an end, and democracy will suffer.

References

Political offices
Preceded by Einar Gerhardsen	Prime Minister of Norway August 1963–September 1963	Succeeded by Einar Gerhardsen
Preceded by Halvard Manthey Lange	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1965–1970	Succeeded by Svenn Stray
Preceded by Trygve Lie	County Governor of Oslo and Akershus 1964–1970	Succeeded by Petter Mørch Koren