The County Governor of Telemark (Norwegian: Fylkesmann i Telemark) was the county governor for Telemark county in Norway from 1661 until the office was abolished in 2019. The office of county governor is a government agency of the Kingdom of Norway which represents the national government in each county. The county governor is an appointed position. On 1 January 2019, this office was merged with the County Governor of Vestfold into the County Governor of Vestfold og Telemark (this was done in preparation for the merger of the two counties in 2020).[1]
The governor is the government's representative in the county. They carry out the resolutions and guidelines of the Storting and government. This is done first by the county governor performing administrative tasks on behalf of the ministries. Secondly, the county governor also monitors the activities of the municipalities and is the appeal body for many types of municipal decisions.
In 1661, the government of Norway established Bratsberg as an amt (or county). The county was subordinate to the Diocesan Governor of Christianssand. In 1919, the name of the county was changed to Norwegian: Telemark fylke. On 1 January 2019, the office was merged creating the new office of County Governor of Vestfold og Telemark in preparation for the merger of the neighboring counties of Telemark and Vestfold to form Vestfold og Telemark county on 1 January 2020.[2]
The word for county (amt or fylke) and the name of the county have both changed over time. Therefore the title of the officeholder has also changed.
Telemark county has had the following governors:[3] [4] [5]
| County governors of Telemark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Name | ||
| 1661 | 1662 | Jørgen Bjelke (1621 - 1696) | ||
| 13 Apr 1662 | 16 Jun 1669 | Johan Frederik von Marschalck (1618 - 1679) | ||
| 16 Jun 1669 | 15 Nov 1675 | Preben von Ahnen (1606 - 1675) | ||
| 15 Nov 1675 | 26 Sep 1691 | Niels Sørensen Adeler (1628 - 1694) | ||
| 26 Sep 1691 | 20 Apr 1711 | Henrik Adeler (1660 - 1718) | ||
| 20 Apr 1711 | 2 Dec 1723 | Jacob Lindberg (1672 - 1723) | ||
| 12 Aug 1724 | 3 Jan 1727 | Michael Storm (1688 - 1727) | ||
| 27 Jan 1727 | 21 Mar 1731 | Christian Berg (1697 - 1731) | ||
| 9 Apr 1731 | 30 Jan 1744 | Henrik Essemann (???? - 1744) | ||
| 1744 | 4 July 1764 | Johan Frederik Brockenhuus von Løwenhielm (1706 - 1764) | ||
| 30 Jul 1764 | 20 Feb 1771 | Frederik Georg Adeler (1736 - 1810) | ||
| 20 Feb 1771 | 3 Apr 1773 | Peter Holm (1733 - 1817) | ||
| 3 Apr 1773 | 2 Apr 1781 | Frederik Georg Adeler (1736 - 1810) | ||
| 2 Apr 1781 | 9 Jan 1788 | Frederik Moltke (1754 - 1836) | ||
| 12 Mar 1788 | 10 Jan 1798 | Jonas Ramus Petersen (1748 - 1804) | ||
| 7 Mar 1798 | 26 Feb 1800 | Otto Joachim Moltke (1770 - 1853) | ||
| 26 Feb 1800 | 27 Apr 1803 | Jens Andreas Selmer (1776 - 1830) | ||
| 27 Apr 1803 | 24 Dec 1813 | Severin Løvenskiold (1777 - 1856) | ||
| 24 Dec 1813 | 1838 | Fredrik Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg (1787 - 1863) | ||
| 1839 | 1846 | Carl Valentin Falsen (1787 - 1852) | ||
| 1846 | 1877 | Hans J. C. Aall (1806 - 1894) | ||
| 1877 | 1880 | Nils Mathias Rye (1824 - 1905) | ||
| 1881 | 1889 | Ulrik Frederik Christian Arneberg (1829 - 1911) | ||
| 1889 | 1898 | Otto Benjamin Andreas Aubert (1841 - 1898) | ||
| 1898 | 1902 | Thomas von Westen Engelhart (1850 - 1905) | ||
| 1902 | 1910 | Viggo Ullmann (1848 - 1910) | ||
| 1910 | 1932 | Guthorm Hallager (1864 - 1932) | ||
| 1933 | 1938 | Olaf Hegland (1885 - 1939) | ||
| 1939 | 1959 | Kornelius Bergsvik (1889 - 1975) Removed from office 1940-1945 during the occupied government. | ||
| Oct 1940 | 1945 | Christen Knudsen Jr. (1873 - 1964) (WWII Occupied government) | ||
| 1959 | Dec 1969 | Tidemann F. Evensen (1905 - 1969) | ||
| Dec 1969 | 1973 | Leif Hjørnevik (1910 - 1973) | ||
| 1973 | 1976 | Olav Haukvik (1928 - 1992) | ||
| 1976 | 1987 | Oddvar Berrefjord (1918 - 1999) | ||
| 1987 | 1998 | Kjell Bohlin (1928 - 2011) | ||
| 1 Dec 1998 | 1 July 2004 | Solveig Sollie (born 1939) | ||
| 2 July 2004 | 2 July 2006 | Arne Malme (born 1949) (Acting governor) | ||
| 3 July 2006 | 21 June 2018 | Kari Nordheim-Larsen (born 1948) | ||
| 22 June 2018 | 31 Dec 2018 | Arne Malme (born 1949) (Acting governor) | ||
| Office abolished on 1 January 2019, see List of county governors of Vestfold og Telemark | ||||