The position was created on 7 June 1905, the day
Norway declared independence from Sweden, with the
Liberal Party's Jørgen Løvland as the inaugural.
Notable officeholders Halvard Lange (
Labour) is the longest-serving, having held the position for more than eighteen years in four cabinets. The shortest-serving is the fellow party member,
Edvard Bull, Sr., who held the position for the sixteen days that
Hornsrud's Cabinet lasted.
Johan Ludwig Mowinckel (Liberal) was appointed four times as minister. Three people have sat concurrently as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs: Løvland, Mowinckel and
Ivar Lykke (
Conservative). Three officeholders would later become Prime Minister: Løvland, Mowinckel and
Kjell Magne Bondevik (
Christian Democratic). Two former Prime Ministers have held the office:
John Lyng (Conservative) and
Thorbjørn Jagland (Labour).
Trygve Lie (Labour) resigned from the office to become the inaugural
Secretary-General of the United Nations. Two people have died while in office:
Knut Frydenlund and
Johan Jørgen Holst (both Labour).
List of ministers The following lists the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, their party, date of assuming and leaving office, their tenure in years and days, and the cabinet they served in. :
Key ==Minister of European Affairs==