Ingvald Smith-Kielland (full name: Ingvald Marillus Emil Smith-Kielland; 9 August 1890 – 29 January 1984) was a Norwegian military officer, diplomat, sports official, and royal servant.
Early life and education: He was born in Egge Municipality (now Steinkjer), Norway, as the son of Colonel Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland (1863–1949) and Ragnhild Johanne Duborgh (1869–1961). He was a brother of painter Per Smith-Kielland. He completed his secondary education in 1908, graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1911, and the Norwegian Military College in 1913.
Military and diplomatic career: After several years in the military, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1920. He helped negotiate Norwegian fishing rights near Eastern Greenland ("Erik the Red's Land") and negotiated with Spain and Portugal regarding Norway's alcohol prohibition. From 1929 to 1938, he served as a subdirector in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked as a counsellor at the Norwegian legation in London (1938–1941 and 1943–1944), as military attaché at the Norwegian legation in Stockholm (1941–1943), and from 1944 worked for the Czech government-in-exile. After the war, he served as ambassador to the Czechoslovak Republic (1945–1948), also with responsibility for Austria from 1946.
Royal court service: In 1948 he became protocol chief in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1949 he was appointed chamberlain and court marshal by King Haakon VII, and in 1955 he was promoted to lord chamberlain (hoffsjef), the highest economic and administrative officer at the Royal Palace. He retired in 1966.
Sports administration: He served as secretary-general of the International Ski Federation (FIS) from 1933 to 1936 and chaired the Norwegian Skiing Federation (Norges Skiforbund) from 1934 to 1936. He also oversaw Norwegian delegations to the 1920 Summer Olympics and the 1928 and 1932 Winter Olympics.
Honours: He was decorated with the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, as well as the Danish Order of the Dannebrog, the Swedish Order of the Polar Star, the Order of the Lion of Finland, the Icelandic Order of the Falcon, and the British Royal Victorian Order.
Personal life: He married Elisabeth Hesselberg-Meyer in 1918. His son, Ingvald Mareno Smith-Kielland (1919–2012), also served as court marshal (1966–1985) and lord chamberlain (1985–1991) of Norway. Ingvald Smith-Kielland died in January 1984 in Oslo.
Note: A contemporary individual named Ingvald Smith-Kielland also exists, working as a design leader and strategist in the private sector, but this is a different person from the historical figure described above.
