Christian Gottlieb Hilt (29 January 1888 – 5 August 1958) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Labour and Communist parties.
Hilt was born in Bergen, and started studies in 1906 but left the higher education system after a couple of years. He instead became subeditor in the newspaper Smaalenenes Social-Demokrat, and was acting editor-in-chief from 1910 to 1911. Hilt then worked in Den 1ste Mai, Bratsberg-Demokraten and Social-Demokraten.[1] In 1914, he was hired in Fremtiden, where he was promoted to subeditor in October,[2] and in 1916 he was hired in Ny Tid where he became editor in 1918. Already in 1919, Hilt left Ny Tid to become a manager in the news bureau Arbeidernes Pressekontor.[1] He was also a delegate at the Fourth Comintern Congress in 1922,[3] and participated in the 4th and 7th Enlarged Plenums of the Executive Committee of the Comintern in 1926 and 1927.[4]
In 1923, Hilt broke away from the Labour Party, joining the Communist Party. He was elected party secretary in 1925, and was a politburo member from 1926 to 1929.[4] He had two spells as editor-in-chief for Norges Kommunistblad, from July 1926 to the spring of 1927 and from the autumn 1927 to 1929.[5] The hiatus came because Hilt stayed in the Soviet Union for a period.[6] Around 1926–1927, he also served on the editorial board of Proletaren.[7] Hilt then stayed in the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1936, where he did various work for Comintern, and was a correspondent for newspapers all over Scandinavia. In 1937, Hilt returned to Norway as secretary of a Norway–Soviet friendship association. He also edited a communist periodical Nytt Land from 1937 to 1940.[4]
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, Hilt was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement. He was described by Heinrich Fehlis in an August 1940 edition of Meldungen aus Norwegen.[8] When the illegal newspaper Friheten started in 1941, Hilt edited it together with Erling Heiestad. The newspaper was stenciled, and published fortnightly. Hilt also edited Radio-Nytt. While Heiestad was arrested in 1941, Hilt made good his escape to neutral Sweden.[9]
After the war, Hilt was again secretary of a new Norway–Soviet friendship association.[4] He died in August 1958, and is buried at Østre Aker.[10]
References edit
- ^ a b Friis, Jakob; Hegna, Trond; Juel, Dagfin, eds. (1933). "Hilt, Christian Gottlieb". Arbeidernes Leksikon (in Norwegian). Vol. 3. Oslo: Arbeidermagasinets Forlag. p. 899.
- ^ "Partipressen". Demokraten (in Norwegian). 13 October 1914. p. 1.
- ^ Maurseth, Per (1987). Gjennom kriser til makt 1920-1935. Volume three of Arbeiderbevegelsens historie i Norge (in Norwegian). Oslo: Tiden. p. 275. ISBN 82-10-02753-0.
- ^ a b c d Lorenz, Einhart (1983). Det er ingen sak å få partiet lite. NKP 1923–1931 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Pax. p. 291. ISBN 82-530-1255-1.
- ^ Friis, Jakob; Hegna, Trond, eds. (1932). "Arbeideren". Arbeidernes Leksikon (in Norwegian). Vol. 1. Oslo: Arbeidermagasinets Forlag. pp. 186–187.
- ^ Lorenz, 1983: pp. 90–91
- ^ Lorenz, 1983: p. 171
- ^ Excerpt from Meldungen aus Norwegen
- ^ Pryser, Tore (1988). Klassen og nasjonen 1935-1946. Volume four of Arbeiderbevegelsens historie i Norge (in Norwegian). Oslo: Tiden. pp. 383–384. ISBN 82-10-02754-9.
- ^ "Cemeteries in Norway" (in Norwegian). DIS-Norge. Retrieved 2 August 2010.