The Early Years
Trygve Halvdan Lie was born in Oslo, then Kristiania, on July 16, 1896. His father cut his ties to the family when he migrated to America before Lie’s birth. Lie grew up with his mother Hulda and his older sister in a working class neighbourhood on the outskirts of the Norwegian capital. His mother ran a cafe and Lie used to read newspapers aloud for the workers. Lie had several local benefactors who supported him through school and university. He gained his law degree in 1919 and became a legal advisor for the Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions (LO) in 1922.