Mark Evans Austad

Mark Evans Austad (April 1, 1917 – October 20, 1988 and served under Gerald Ford as United States Ambassador to Finland from 1975 to 1977, and as United States Ambassador to Norway from 1981 to 1984, under Ronald Reagan.

Biography Austad was born Marcus Jacob Austad in Ogden, Utah, to Norwegian immigrant parents, Jacob L. and Signa Anderson Austad. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and served a three-year mission to Finland and Norway from 1936 to 1939. From 1939 to 1941, he attended Weber College in Ogden where he was student body president and active in public speaking, in which he won first place in national competitions. Austad married the former Lola Brown in 1942 and they had three daughters.

Broadcasting Austad passed up law school for an opportunity to work in radio

Austad served for two years as chairman of Washington D.C.'s National Cherry Blossom Festival, and awarded Norway's highest honor given to foreigners, the Grand Cross of St. Olav's Order, for his work in fighting heart disease. Austad claimed that after hosting an embassy cocktail party, he was on a late-night visit to a friend's house to plan their salmon fishing trip, but his taxi took him to the wrong address. It was alleged that Austad was "apparently under the influence of alcohol" and had spent "half an hour knocking and kicking at her front door Wednesday in an attempt to get in." Police merely dropped Austad back at his hotel,

Death Austad died in 1988 at age 71 in Arizona. His funeral was held in Ogden, Utah, and his body was buried in Lindquist Washington Heights Memorial Park.