Ludvig Enge

Ludvig Elmar Hegge Olsen Enge (11 September 1878 – 16 August 1953) was a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Labour Party. He was an MP, mayor and chief administrative officer of Sarpsborg.

Early life and career He was born in Vik i Helgeland as a son of fisher Ole Peder Olsen Enge (1845–1930) and Kristine Johanna Johansen (1845–1878), and a first cousin of Cornelius Lind Enge. He worked as a fisher and land labourer until the age of twenty. In 1899 he moved to Sarpsborg where he worked as an electrical fitter in the company Borregaard.

Later career In 1901 he helped found the first trade union for Borregaard workers, and in 1903 he co-founded the Labour Party branch in Sarpsborg. In 1907 he left Borregaard to become local editor of Smaalenenes Social-Demokrat. In 1909 he left the newspaper to work in Sarpsborg kommunale elektrisitetsverk. From 1916 to 1918 he managed the city office of provisioning.

In the autumn of 1918, Sarpsborg city council decided to hire Enge as burgomaster (later: chief administrative officer) of the city. In October 1918 the Ministry of Justice followed suit and appointed Enge. According to historian Hans Olav Lahlum, Enge was the first burgomaster in Norway who belonged to the Labour Party. He started on 1 January 1919 and left the job in March 1943. He was fired by the Nazi authorities during the German occupation of Norway, and imprisoned between February and March 1944. He then returned to the job as chief administrative officer.