| Office: | Minister of Trade |
| Term Start: | 15 February 1928 |
| Term End: | 12 May 1931 |
| Primeminister: | J. L. Mowinckel |
| Predecessor: | Anton L. Alvestad |
| Successor: | Per Larssen |
| Term Start2: | 20 October 1922 |
| Term End2: | 6 March 1923 |
| Primeminister2: | Otto Blehr |
| Predecessor2: | J. L. Mowinckel |
| Successor2: | Johan Rye Holmboe |
| Office3: | Minister of Social Affairs |
| Term Start3: | 25 July 1924 |
| Term End3: | 5 March 1926 |
| Primeminister3: | J. L. Mowinckel |
| Predecessor3: | Odd Klingenberg |
| Successor3: | Peter A. Morell |
| Term Start4: | 22 June 1921 |
| Term End4: | 20 October 1922 |
| Primeminister4: | Otto Blehr |
| Predecessor4: | Odd Klingenberg |
| Successor4: | Rasmus Mortensen |
| Birth Date: | 3 January 1877 |
| Birth Place: | Stavanger, Rogaland, Sweden-Norway |
| Spouse: | Alice Stephensen |
| Party: | Liberal |
Lars Oftedal (3 January 1877 - 19 April 1932) was a Norwegian attorney and newspaper editor. [1]
Oftedal was born in Stavanger in Rogaland, Norway. He was the son of parish priest Lars Oftedal (1838–1900) and his wife Olava Mathilde Ohlsen (1839–1931). His father was the founding editor of Stavanger Aftenblad and also served as a member of the Storting.
Oftedal attended Kongsgaard skole in Stavanger and took Cand. jur. in 1899. He was editor of Stavanger Aftenblad from 1900 to 1921.He served with the Stavanger city council from 1907 until 1921. From 1916 to 1918 he was deputy to the Storting and was elected as a permanent representative in 1922 and 1925. He was Minister of Social Affairs 1921-1922 and 1924-1926 in Prime Minister Mowinckel's First Cabinet. He served a Minister of Trade 1922-1923 and 1928-1931 in Prime Minister Mowinckel's Second Cabinet.[2] [3]
He was married to Alice Stephansen (1877-1938). They were the parents of physician Sven Oftedal (1905–1948) and newspaper editor Christian S. Oftedal (1907–1955).[4] [5]