State Secretariat (1814–1926)

On 19 May 1814, the Regency Secretariat in Christiania (Oslo) had its name changed to the State Secretariat. The National Assembly at Eidsvold had in the Constitution changed the name of the Government Council to the Council of State, and elected Prince Christian Frederik as King of Norway. The Regency Secretary now had his name changed to State Secretary.

When the Storting on 4 November 1814 approved the union with Sweden, the title of prime minister was introduced in Norway. Norway’s Prime Minister was from late December 1814 based at the Norwegian Council of State Division in Stockholm, with the new Norwegian State Secretariat Chancery there as his secretariat. In Christiania government work was led by the Swedish-Norwegian King’s Governor-General and the First Minister, assisted by the State Secretariat.

On 4 July 1829, a post as Secretary to the President of the Norwegian Government was established in Christiania, in addition to the State Secretariat.

On 5 June 1873, the office as the Swedish-Norwegian King´s Governor-General in Christiania was abolished, after having been vacant since 1861. On 21 July 1873, the responsibility as Norway’s Prime Minister was transferred from the office as Prime Minister in Stockholm to a new office as Prime Minister in Christiania. This office was now assisted by the State Secretariat and the Secretary to the President of the Norwegian Government. The office as Norwegian Prime Minister in Stockholm was now ranked after Norway’s Prime Minister in Kristiania. After a while, the Secretary was based in the ministry led by the Prime Minister, from 1905 with the title of Secretary to the Prime Minister.

When the Storting on 7 June 1905 declared the Swedish-Norwegian union to be dissolved, the members of the Norwegian Council of State Division in Stockholm had been withdrawn to Kristiania some days before. The Norwegian State Secretariat Chancery in Stockholm was abolished in 1906. In 1906, the post as Secretary to the Prime Minister was also abolished. The Prime Minister was now assisted in his tasks as head of government by the State Secretariat and a civil servant in the ministry he was leading.

On 1 January 1926, the State Secretariat had its name changed to the Council of State Secretariat, while the State Secretary had his title changed to Secretary to the Council of State. The Council of State Secretariat was administratively under the Ministry of Justice and the Police.

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