Odd Einar Dørum

Odd Einar Dørum
Minister of Justice and the Police
In office 19 October 2001 – 17 October 2005
Prime Minister	Kjell Magne Bondevik
Preceded by	Hanne Harlem
Succeeded by	Knut Storberget
In office 15 March 1999 – 17 March 2000
Prime Minister	Kjell Magne Bondevik
Preceded by	Aud Inger Aure
Succeeded by	Hanne Harlem
Minister of Transport and Communications
In office 17 October 1997 – 15 March 1999
Prime Minister	Kjell Magne Bondevik
Preceded by	Sissel Rønbeck
Succeeded by	Dag Jostein Fjærvoll
Member of the Storting
In office 1 October 1997 – 30 September 2009
Deputy	Helene Falch Fladmark Trine Skei Grande Alvhild Hedstein
Constituency	Oslo
In office 1 October 1977 – 30 September 1981
Constituency	Sør-Trøndelag
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 13 March 1992 – 6 April 1996
Preceded by	Håvard Alstadheim
Succeeded by	Lars Sponheim
In office 3 April 1982 – 5 April 1986
Preceded by	Hans H. Rossbach
Succeeded by	Arne Fjørtoft
Personal details
Born	(1943-10-12) 12 October 1943 Oslo, Norway
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Randi Gerd Øverland ​ (m. 1968)​
Children	2

Odd Einar Dørum (born 12 October 1943) is a Norwegian former politician and former member of parliament, representing the Liberal Party. He was leader of the party on two occasions (1982–1986 and 1992–1996) and served as minister in Kjell Magne Bondevik's both cabinets from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2001 to 2005.

Career

Dørum grew up in Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim, where he studied history at university. He was a member of Venstre's youth organization (Unge Venstre), and from 1970 to 1972 was its leader. He was a city councillor in Trondheim while working as a social worker.

Dørum was a member of parliament from 1977 to 1981 and was re-elected in 1997. He was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then Minister of Justice until 17 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government of Kjell Magne Bondevik from 2001 to 2005. He served four terms as an elected member of the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) (1977–1981, 1997–2001, 2001–2005, and 2005–2009). He did not seek re-election in the 2009 election.

He was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1982 to 1986 and again from 1992 to 1996.

Despite becoming an experienced Minister of Justice, Dørum himself had a run-in with the law in his youth. He participated in a non-violent civil disobedience protest in Mardøla, Norway in 1970. Protesting against the government turning several waterfalls into powerplants, he was carried away by police together with other prominent protestors like philosopher Arne Næss. This marked the first time civil disobedience was used to protect the environment in Norway.

Dørum is known as a very grounded person, and unlike most politicians his age he does not take himself very seriously. For decades he has been a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings books and made headlines when he showed up for the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wearing a hobbits robe, much to the amusement of its star Viggo Mortensen. He later donned the same outfit again in an outdoor Lord of the Rings concert in Frognerparken in Oslo in 2005.

Dørum is a Christian of part German-Jewish descent on his mother's side. He lives in Oslo, married to Randi Gerd Øverland and has two children.