Alf Whist

Alf Larsen Whist (6 August 1880 – 16 July 1962) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician for Nasjonal Samling.

He was born in Fredrikshald as a son of Svend Larsen (1833–1893) and Sofie Mathilde Laumann (1842–1897). He finished middle school in 1896, and after a period at sea he started working with insurance in Kristiania. He was married to editor's daughter Augusta Kathinka Hals from 1904.

He started his own insurance company Norske Lloyd in 1905, and also founded insurance companies like Norske Alliance, Norske Forenende Livsforsikringsselskap, Globus and Andvake. Norske Lloyd went bankrupt in 1920–1921. He then moved from Ullern to France. He was a board member of insurance companies in Finland, France, Algeria and the United States.

He was decorated as an Officier of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Commander of the Order of Leopold and Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. However, in France he was sentenced for economic crimes in 1935 (the sentence was overturned in 1942 under Nazi control). Some time after the sentence he returned to Norway, now running the company Alf L. Whist & Co. This company gave a profit, which he invested in real estate. One of his sons were handed control over the company Heggedal Bruk which constructed readymade cabins.

Following the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany which started on 9 April 1940, Whist made himself a new career as a profiteer. Despite having no political experience, he now joined the only legal political party in the country, the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling (NS), in the summer of 1940, and was soon installed in the board of directors of Vinmonopolet (as chairman) and Norges Brannkasse. His companies also received substantial orders from Organisation Todt.

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