Christopher Knudsen

{{Short description|Norwegian priest and politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Christopher Knudsen

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Christopher Knudsen.jpg

| imagesize =

| smallimage =

| caption =

| office = Member of the Norwegian Parliament

| term_start = 1 January 1895

| term_end = 31 December 1903

| constituency = Tønsberg {{Small|(1901-1903)}}
Drammen {{Small|(1895-1898)}}

| office2 = Minister of Education and Church Affairs

| term_start2 = 11 March 1905

| term_end2 = 27 January 1906

| primeminister2= Christian Michelsen

| predecessor2= Hans Nilsen Hauge

| successor2= Otto Jensen

| birth_date = {{birth date|1843|10|4|df=y}}

| birth_place = Drammen, Buskerud, United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway

| death_date = {{death date and age|1915|7|28|1843|10|4|df=y}}

| death_place = Drammen, Buskerud, Norway

| nationality = Norwegian

| party = Conservative

| spouse = Ida Regine Lohne
Marie Charlotte Andrea Hermanstorff {{Small|(formerly)}}

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| profession = Priest

| religion =

| signature =

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}}

Christopher Knudsen (4 October 1843 – 28 July 1915) was a Norwegian priest and politician for the Conservative Party. He was Minister of Education and Church Affairs from 1905 to 1906.

Knudsen was born in Drammen as a son of railroad worker Knud Larssen (1814–66) and Marie A. Christophersen Aaserud (1812–1890). He was married twice; first from February 1869 to Marie Charlotte Andrea Hermanstorff (1849–1873), then from September 1874 to Ida Regine Lohne (1855–1949).{{cite encyclopedia|year=|title=Christoffer Knudsen|encyclopedia=Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=Paul|last=Thyness|authorlink=Paul Thyness|editor=Helle, Knut|editor-link=Knut Helle|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Christoffer_Knudsen/utdypning|language=Norwegian|accessdate=15 May 2013}} He was an uncle of politician Knud Christian Knudsen.{{cite web|url=http://www.nsd.uib.no/polsys/index.cfm?urlname=storting&lan=&MenuItem=N1_1&ChildItem=&State=collapse&UttakNr=33&person=11638|title=Knud Christian Knudsen|date=|publisher=Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD)|accessdate=15 May 2013}}

He finished his secondary education in 1861, graduated with the cand.theol. degree in 1867, and in 1879 he became vicar in the newly established parish of Nedre Eiker. When Nedre Eiker became its own municipality in 1885, he sat in the municipal council and on the school board and was elected mayor. He left Nedre Eiker in 1886,{{cite web|url=http://www.eiker.org/Artikler/Kultur_media/Portretter/chr%20knudsen.htm|title=Christopher Knudsen 1843 - 1915. Nedre Eikers første sogneprest|last=Wollertsen|first=Anne Gallefos|publisher=Eiker Arkiv|language=Norwegian|accessdate=31 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726020754/http://www.eiker.org/Artikler/Kultur_media/Portretter/chr%20knudsen.htm|archive-date=26 July 2011|url-status=dead}} and became a curate in Drammen. He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from that city in 1894 and 1897. He was then elected for a third term in 1900 from the constituency Tønsberg, where he had been appointed vicar.{{cite web|url=http://www.nsd.uib.no/polsys/index.cfm?urlname=polsys&lan=&MenuItem=N1_1&ChildItem=&State=collapse&UttakNr=33&person=11633|title=Christopher Knudsen|date=|publisher=Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD)|accessdate=31 January 2009}}

On 11 March 1905, when Michelsen's Cabinet assumed office, Knudsen was appointed Norwegian Minister of Education and Church Affairs. This cabinet oversaw the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. Knudsen left the cabinet on 26 January 1906.