Th. Valentin Aass

Th. Valentin Aass was a Norwegian sailor and civil servant in the foreign service. He was born in Kristiania (now Oslo) as a son of wholesaler Julius Aas and Hulda Mathilde Olsen. He studied law at the Royal Frederick University and graduated in 1911. He worked as a deputy to the stipendiary magistrate of Fredrikstad from 1912 to 1915. He competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics as a crew member of the Norwegian boat Taifun, which won the gold medal in the 8 metre class. He represented the Royal Norwegian Yacht Club. He joined the foreign service in 1917 and served in various positions in Barcelona, London, Stockholm, Kaunas, and Gothenburg. He was especially involved in the Norwegian legation in Stockholm during the Second World War, when Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany and Sweden remained neutral. He was decorated with several orders and medals from Norway and other countries for his diplomatic service. He died in August 1961 and was buried at Ris.