Torleiv Hytten
Torleiv Hytten | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 February 1890 Drammen, Norway |
| Died | 2 January 1980 (aged 89) Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Occupation | Econonmist |
| Spouse |
Margaret Compton (m. 1922) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Tasmania |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Tasmania |
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.
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.[1]
Hytten was raised in poverty. He was educated in Tønsberg, but left school at a young age due to his family's financial situation.[1]
First years in Australia
Hytten immigrated to Australia in 1910, initially settling in New South Wales and working for periods as a labourer in Newcastle, at a ship chandler in Sydney, and as a truck driver in Broken Hill. He lived in Broken Hill between 1913 and 1918, where he was active in trade unions and attended Workers' Educational Association (WEA) sessions. He was influenced by WEA lecturer Herbert Heaton and began writing for local newspapers.[1]
In 1918, Hytten moved to Tasmania and found work in the mining districts on the West Coast, also writing for the Zeehan and Dundas Herald. He kept in touch with Heaton and soon moved to Hobart where he became secretary of the local branch of the WEA and worked as a journalist for the The World and the short-lived News. He graduated Bachelor of Arts at the University of Tasmania in 1922.[1]
Academia
In 1926, Hytten was appointed as a temporary lecturer at the University of Tasmania. He completed a Master of Arts in 1929 with a thesis on transport economics.[1] He was a protégé of Douglas Copeland and succeeded Copeland as professor of economics in 1930.[2] He was also influenced by his colleagues L. F. Giblin and Jim Brigden.[1]
Government and banking work
Hytten served as an economic adviser to the Tasmanian state government from 1929 to 1935.[1] Initially appointed by Nationalist premier John McPhee, he subsequently worked closely with Australian Labor Party (ALP) premier Albert Ogilvie.[3] In 1935 he was chosen to represent Tasmania at the Silver Jubilee of George V, along with Ogilvie and Frank Gaha.[4] The three subsequently toured Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, reportedly the first such official delegation from any Australian government to visit the Soviet Union.[5]
Personal life
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.[1]
Further reading
- Hagger, Alfred (2007). Torleiv Hytten 1890–1980: Norwegian Immigrant, Australian Economist. University of Tasmania. ISBN 9781862954144.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Davis, R. P. (1996). "Torleiv Hytten (1890–1980)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 14. Melbourne University Press.
- ^ "Professor Torleiv Hytten: From Norway to Hobart". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Roe, Michael (2008). Albert Ogilvie and Stymie Gaha: World-Wise Tasmanians. Parliament of Tasmania. p. 24. ISBN 9780646491233.
- ^ Roe 2008, pp. 33–34.
- ^ Roe 2008, pp. 57–58.
- 1890 births
- 1980 deaths
- Academic staff of the University of Tasmania
- Norwegian emigrants to Australia
- People from Drammen
- University of Tasmania alumni
- Norwegian economists
- Australian economists
- Vice-Chancellors of the University of Tasmania
- Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Order of Saint Olav