{{Short description|Norwegian politician (born 1932)}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = DietlevSimonsen.jpg | image_size = 150px | honorific_prefix = | name = Per Ditlev-Simonsen | order = 64th | office = Mayor of Oslo | term_start = 25 October 1995 | term_end = 29 August 2007 | deputy = Svenn Kristiansen | 1blankname = Governing Mayor | 1namedata = Rune Gerhardsen <br> Fritz Huitfeldt <br> Erling Lae | predecessor = Ann-Marit Sæbønes | successor = Svenn Kristiansen | constituency = | majority = | office2 = Minister of Defence | term_start2 = 16 October 1989 | term_end2 = 3 November 1990 | predecessor2 = Johan Jørgen Holst | successor2 = Johan Jørgen Holst | prime_minister2 = Jan P. Syse | constituency3 = Oslo | office3 = Member of the Norwegian Parliament | majority3 = <!-- Can be repeated up to eight times by adding a number --> | term_start3 = 1 October 1981 | term_end3 = 30 September 1985 | predecessor3 = <!-- Can be repeated up to eight times by adding a number --> | successor3 = <!-- Can be repeated up to eight times by adding a number --> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1932|06|12|df=y}} | birth_place = Oslo, Norway | death_date = | death_place = | party = Conservative | spouse = | relations = Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen Sr (grandfather)<br>Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen Jr (uncle)<br>John Ditlev-Simonsen (uncle) | children = Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen | alma_mater = Stanford University | occupation = Shipping magnate | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}
'''Per Ditlev-Simonsen''' (born 12 June 1932) is a Norwegian politician. He was the mayor of Oslo, representing the Conservative Party, from 1995 to 2007. He stepped down on 23 August 2007 following the Swiss bank-account scandal.
Ditlev-Simonsen was an officer of the Norwegian Royal Guards, and he later attended Stanford University getting a Master of Arts degree. After college, Ditlev-Simonsen became a partner in his father's shipping company Sverre Ditlev-Simonsen & Co (SDS) in 1955. He was a partner in the company until 1995.
Ditlev-Simonsen was a Member of Parliament from 1981 to 1985, serving in the Standing Committee of Finance. From 1989 to 1990 Ditlev-Simonsen was Minister of Defence in the Cabinet of Jan P. Syse.
== Personal life ==
Ditlev-Simonsen was born in Oslo to ship owner Sverre Ditlev-Simonsen and Lily Kaurin. He was a grandson of Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen Sr, and nephew of Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen Jr. He was married to Benedicte Werring (d. 1990) from 1960, and to Turi Klaveness from 1992.<ref name=nbl>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Per Ditlev-Simonsen |encyclopedia=Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=Bjarne |last=Kortsen |author-link= |editor=Helle, Knut |editor-link=Knut Helle |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo |url=https://nbl.snl.no/Per_Ditlev-Simonsen | language=Norwegian |access-date=27 August 2017}}</ref>
== Swiss bank account tax probe == {{Wikinews|Mayor of Oslo resigns after tax fraud scandal}} In August 2007, the presence of a hitherto unknown Swiss bank account was revealed. The revelation came after an acrimonious divorce involving his daughter, Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen, the communications director of Norsk Hydro.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1943016.ece |title=Mayor caught in tax probe |date=August 17, 2007 |author=Aftenposten |author-link=Aftenposten }}</ref> The account, which contained NOK 1.5 million had been inherited by Ditlev-Simonsen after his wife died in 1990, and he eventually admitted to not having paid the Norwegian wealth tax on it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1947969.ece |title=Mayor sorry but won't resign |author=Aftenposten |date=August 20, 2007}}</ref>
The revelation caused several opposition politicians to call for Ditlev-Simonsen's resignation. Erna Solberg, the head of the Conservative Party, asked that Ditlev- Simonsen refrain from active campaigning for his party ahead of the local elections scheduled for 10 September. Even if he had not resigned, the 75 year old Ditlev-Simonsen was set to retire after the election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1947232.ece |title=Oslo's mayor faces resignation demands |author=Aftenposten |date=August 20, 2007}}</ref> The incident was believed to be a cause of the Conservative's 4 percent drop in opinion polls, three weeks ahead of the election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1951245.ece |title=Voters abandon Conservatives |author=Aftenposten |date=August 22, 2007}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before=Ann-Marit Sæbønes | title=Mayor of Oslo | years=1995–2007 | after=Svenn Erik Kristiansen }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ditlev-Simonsen, Per}} Category:1932 births Category:Living people Category:Mayors of Oslo Category:Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Category:Stanford University alumni Category:Norwegian businesspeople Category:Ministers of defence of Norway Category:Members of the Storting 1981–1985