President of the Norwegian Seafarers' Union (NSU) 1936 – 1958. Under his leadership the NSU was the only Norwegian trade union that had escape plans for a situation where Norway could be drawn into World War II. The union leadership managed to escape the German occupation 9 April 1940 and did their part to persuade the majority of the Norwegian merchant fleet to go to Allied war service under the Norwegian government in exile as the world largest shipowning company Nortraship.