Jo Benkow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of the Storting | |
| In office 9 October 1985 – 30 September 1993 | |
| Monarchs | Olav V Harald V |
| Prime Minister | Kåre Willoch Gro Harlem Brundtland Jan P. Syse |
| Vice President | Reiulf Steen Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl |
| Preceded by | Per Hysing-Dahl |
| Succeeded by | Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl |
| ConservativeParliamentary leader | |
| In office 1 October 1981 – 30 September 1985 | |
| Prime Minister | Kåre Willoch |
| Leader | Himself Erling Norvik |
| Preceded by | Kåre Willoch |
| Succeeded by | Jan P. Syse |
| Leader of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 4 May 1980 – 25 August 1984 | |
| First Deputy | Håkon Randal |
| Second Deputy | Astrid Gjertsen Kaci Kullmann Five |
| Preceded by | Erling Norvik |
| Succeeded by | Erling Norvik |
| First Deputy Leader of theConservative Party | |
| In office 16 April 1978 – 4 May 1980 | |
| Leader | Erling Norvik |
| Preceded by | Lars T. Platou |
| Succeeded by | Håkon Randal |
| Second Deputy Leader of theConservative Party | |
| In office 12 May 1974 – 16 April 1978 | |
| Leader | Erling Norvik |
| Preceded by | Per Hysing-Dahl |
| Succeeded by | Astrid Gjertsen |
| Member of the Norwegian Parliament | |
| In office 1 October 1965 – 30 September 1993 | |
| Constituency | Akershus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Josef Elias Benkowitz (1924-08-15)15 August 1924 Trondheim,Sør-Trøndelag, Norway |
| Died | 18 May 2013(2013-05-18) (aged 88) Oslo, Norway |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Annelise Høegh |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | photographer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Norway |
| Branch/service | Air Force |
Jo Benkow (bornJosef Elias Benkowitz; 15 August 1924 – 18 May 2013) was a Norwegian politician and writer, notable for being an important person in theConservative Party of Norway, and the President of the Parliament 1985–1993. He was also President of theNordic Council in 1983.
Jo Benkow was born inTrondheim, Norway, to Jewish parents, Ivan Benkow (1885–1955) and Annie Louise Florence (1895–1942). The family moved to the municipality ofBærum outsideOslo when Jo was a child. Jo Benkow married Bjørg Gerda Folkestad (1930–2012) in 1952, but the marriage dissolved in 1983. From 1985 he was married to fellow politicianAnnelise Høegh (1948–2015),[1] former parliamentary representative for the Conservative Party, and daughter of war aviator Anders Høegh (1920– 1989). He was the uncle of journalistic fraudsterBjørn Benkow[2] (1940–2010).
As a member of the tiny Jewishminority of Norway, he experienced first-hand prejudice while growing up. In 1942, he fled persecution by theNazis occupying Norway, to Sweden. His mother and sister were deported by the Nazi regime from Norway and murdered inAuschwitz.[3][4] Jo reached the United Kingdom where he served in theRoyal Norwegian Air Force.[5] He returned after the war and took up photography as a trade, his father's profession.
In 1965 he was elected to theParliament of Norway, representing theConservative Party. In parliament he soon became a leading figure, as party leader 1980–84, group leader of the Conservative Party in parliament 1981–85 and most notably becomingPresident of the Storting (Speaker) on 9 October 1985, a position he held until his retirement on 30 September 1993, after 28 years in parliament.
Benkow served as president of theInternational Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, taughtinternational relations atBoston University, and has written books on human rights, modern monarchy in Norway, and other issues. HisautobiographyFra Synagogen til Løvebakken (From the synagogue to Løvebakken; Løvebakken refers to a place outside the Parliament) published in 1985 sold 250,000 copies in Norway and earned him theNorwegian Booksellers' Prize.[1] His bookOlav –menneske og monark ("Olav – Man and Monarch"), a product of several conversations with his friend KingOlav V, was a huge bestseller as well.
He was also a much sought-after lecturer on issues concerning the Middle East andAnti-Semitism. In recent years he managed to create some controversy when he criticized former prime minister and party colleagueKåre Willoch, calling him "the most biased person in the country," on account of Willoch's views on the Middle East and his criticism of Israeli politics.[2]
Benkow died on 18 May 2013, at a hospital in Oslo, aged 88.[6]
^ Article in Aftenposten, May 2004 (in Norwegian) on the Norwegian Refugee Council and Kåre Willoch's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Storting 1985–1993 | Succeeded by |
