Torleiv Hytten

Torleiv Hytten CMG (17 February 1890 – 2 January 1980) was a Norwegian-Australian economist and university administrator. He served as vice-chancellor of the University of Tasmania from 1949 to 1957. He was previously an economic adviser to the Government of Tasmania and the Bank of New South Wales.

Early life Hytten was born on 17 February 1890 in Drammen, Norway. He was one of nine surviving children born to Marie Charlotte (née Knudsen) and Oscar Emil Hytten. His father was a master shoemaker.

Hytten was raised in poverty. He was educated in Tønsberg, but left school at a young age due to his family's financial situation. He was also influenced by his colleagues Lyndhurst Giblin and Jim Brigden. In 1935 he was chosen to represent Tasmania at the Silver Jubilee of George V, along with Ogilvie and Frank Gaha. The three subsequently toured Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, reportedly the first such official delegation from any Australian government to visit the Soviet Union.

In 1935, Hytten joined the Bank of New South Wales as an economic adviser, remaining with the bank until 1949. His comments were publicly criticised by federal government minister Herbert Evatt and appeared in ALP campaign materials in the lead-up to the 1949 federal election. In response Hytten stated that the advertisements came "close to libel" and denied any political affiliation, stating that his remarks had been in response to the White Paper on Full Employment in Australia and had been taken out of context.

Personal life and honours In 1922, Hytten married Margaret Compton, with whom he had two sons; one died in infancy. In retirement he and his wife moved to Scotland, where their son had settled. He died in Aberdeen on 2 January 1980, aged 89.

Hytten was appointed a knight of Norway's Order of Saint Olav in 1951. In 1959, the University of Tasmania established Hytten Hall, a male-only residential college at its new Sandy Bay campus. The college was closed in 1980 but a new residential facility of the same name was opened in Hobart's city centre in 2024.