Background
He was born at Sand i Odal as a son of farmer and cooper Torsten Knudsen Sjøli (1847–1921) and Inge Jørgensdatter (1851–1927).
politician member of the Parliament of Norway
He was born at Sand i Odal as a son of farmer and cooper Torsten Knudsen Sjøli (1847–1921) and Inge Jørgensdatter (1851–1927).
He spent his career as a smallholder in Nord-Odal and a construction worker in Eastern Norway. He was a six-term representative to the Parliament of Norway. First, he was elected from the single-member constituency Vinger og Odalen in 1915 and 1918.
After the institution of plural-member constituencies, he was re-elected in 1921.
The Labour Party then split with the majority of party members and voters in Hedmark aligning with the Communist Party. Thus after the 1924 parliamentary election Sjøli only became a deputy Member of Parliament.
In Nord-Odal he chaired the school board and was a member of the health council, congregational council, debt committee and several other boards. He was a member of the county tax board, and a deputy member of the Riksskattestyret. He was a member of Nord-Odal municipal council for about thirty years, and served as deputy mayor.