Blehr grew up on a farm in
Stange Municipality in
Hedmark county, Norway. His parents were Albert Blehr (1805–1872) and Maren Wilhelmine Ludovica Kathinka Stenersen (1818–1877). His father was a doctor and physicist at Sanderud Hospital. He graduated in 1865 and then began studying the University of Christiania. Blehr graduated
cand.jur. in 1871. He served as parliamentary reporter for the newspapers
Dagbladet and
Bergens Tidende. In 1874, he was one of the founders of the
Fjordabladet where he served as the first editor-in-chief until 1882. In 1878, he also started and served as the first editor of the
Sogns Tidende. Blehr was the
county governor of
Nordre Bergenhus (1883–1888) and for
Nordland (1895–1900). In 1877, he established himself as a prosecutor at
Lærdal Municipality in
Sogn. In 1879, Blehr was elected as first deputy representative to the Storting for
Nordre Bergenhus amt (now part of
Vestland county) and from 1883 to 1888 he was a permanent representative. In the fall of 1888 he was not re-elected to the Storting. He later became a prosecutor () in
Sunnfjord and
Nordfjord. In 1889, he became a lawyer in
Hålogaland. He held this assignment until he became a judge () in
Kristiania in 1893. In 1894, Blehr was again elected to the Storting, now for
Nordland. Blehr was re-elected as parliamentary deputy for Nordland in 1898. On 21 April 1902, he took over as Prime Minister of the Norwegian government in Kristiania. ==Personal life==