Christian Stray

Christian Stray (14 January 1894 – 31 July 1981) was a Norwegian lawyer and politician for the Liberal Party.

He was born in Christianssand as a son of timber merchant and shipowner Thorkild Marthinius Stray (1852–1912) and his wife Marie Nodeland (1859–1947). He finished his secondary education at Christianssand Cathedral School in 1912, and graduated with the cand.jur. degree in 1919. From 1918 to 1919 he chaired the student's society Juristforeningen. In between he had served in the Royal Norwegian Navy, and held the rank of premier lieutenant from 1918. From 1919 to 1920, he was a subeditor of newspaper Norske Intelligenz-Seddeler, and from 1920 to 1923 he was a secretary in the Ministry of Justice and auxiliary judge in Sunnfjord District Court. In 1923 he settled in Arendal as an attorney; from 1927 a barrister with access to work with Supreme Court cases.

Stray became involved in politics while studying. He was released then, but the Nazis intended to arrest him again on 1 November the same year. However, because of Stray's health at the time, it was decided to keep him in house arrest. He was liberated at the war's end in May 1945. He was also chairman of the committee that prepared the Tromøy Bridge from 1938 to 1961, as well as of the board in the Arendal newspaper Agderposten. It was inherited by his daughter. He died in July 1981.