Carl Bødtker

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Carl Fredrik Johannes Bødtker (19 May 1886 – 5 February 1980) was a Norwegian engineer and radio personality.

Early and personal life

He was born at Oscarsborg Fortress as a son of Major General Carl Fredrik Johannes Bødtker (1851–1928) and Karen Agathe Falck (1852–1932).[1] He was the brother of banker and art collector Johannes Sejersted Bødtker, a nephew of log driving manager Ragnvald Bødtker and County Governor Eivind Bødtker and a second cousin of theatre critic Sigurd Bødtker and chemist Eyvind Bødtker.[2]

Bødtker first followed in his father's footsteps, taking education as a

machine engineer at Kristiania Technical School in 1906. In 1906 he was hired as controller at a cannon factory in Düsseldorf; from 1911 he worked at a steel works in the same city. He met his future wife, Anita Emily Möhlau (1889–1979) here and married her in 1914. In the same year he returned to Norway, and was hired at Norsk Hydro Rjukan.[1]

Media career

An avid

In 1940 Norway was

Wilhelm Frimann Koren Christie, who in turn answered to the Minister of Culture and Enlightenment. Christie struggled with intrigues both internally and in relation to the Reichskommissariat Norwegen. Bødtker saw his opportunity and "neglected" Christie in daily affairs. He also enrolled in the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling to strengthen his position. Christie answered with scrutiny of Bødtker's economic affairs, and found some exaggerated costs for rent of cars, hotel rooms et cetera. This was enough to have Bødtker, who lacked a human network in Nasjonal Samling, fired in June 1941.[4] At the same time he left the party. However, he was asked to return in October 1942,[1] with Christie long gone. By that time the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation had experienced severe hardships, as most of the listeners abruptly disappeared: radios had become prohibited in the autumn 1941 for everybody save members of Nasjonal Samling.[5] Bødtker remained in his position until Victory in Europe Day, when the Nazi regime fell; he was arrested shortly thereafter.[1]

As a part of the legal purge he was sentenced for Nazi collaboration. However, after a while it became clear that he had worked to help the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation through a difficult time, and tried to resist Nazi German attempts of monetary exploitation of the company.[1] Also his brother Johannes was imprisoned during the last years of the war.[6] Nonetheless Bødtker maintained a low profile for the rest of his life and died in February 1980 in Ådal.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dahl, Hans Fredrik. "Carl Bødtker". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
  2. Store norske leksikon
    (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  3. Store norske leksikon
    (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
  4. .
  5. ^ Dahl, 1991: p. 202
  6. ^ Arntzen, Jon Gunnar. "Johannes Sejersted Bødtker". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 26 April 2009.