Odd Nansen was born in
Bærum,
Akershus,
Norway. He was the second youngest of five children born to scientist and explorer
Fridtjof Nansen. He was raised at
Lysaker outside of
Oslo. After his mother
Eva Nansen died in 1907, he was raised in the home of his neighbor
Anton Klaveness. In 1920, he began studying architecture at the
Norwegian Institute of Technology in
Trondheim. From 1927 to 1930, he worked in
New York City. During 1930, he returned to Oslo and apprenticed with
Arnstein Arneberg. In 1931, Nansen started his architectural practice in Oslo. He also formed the humanitarian organization
Nansenhjelpen in 1936 to provide relief for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution in central Europe. The
Jewish Children's Home in Oslo (
jødiske barnehjemmet i Oslo) was established during 1939 under the auspices of Nansenhjelpen. He was also a forced laborer at the
Veidal Prison Camp. Nansen maintained a diary during his imprisonment that he hid and preserved. These diaries were published after the war and provide an in-depth account of life and death in
Nazi concentration camps. He survived captivity in the camps and returned to Norway where he resumed his architectural career, while initiating several humanitarian efforts. He was the president of One World from 1947 to 1956, and he is considered a co-founder of UNICEF. For his humanitarian efforts, Odd Nansen received many Norwegian and international decorations and honors. He was appointed commander of the
Order of St. Olav in 1970. Nansen was married to Karen "Kari" Hirsch (1903–1985). They were the parents of architect and humanitarian
Eigil Nansen, architect
Siri Jemtland and jurist
Marit Greve, wife of diplomat
Tim Greve. ==References==