Background
Ueland was born into a peasant family on the farm of Skaaland, in the parish of Lund, in the landscape of Dalane, on the southwest coast of Norway.
politician member of the Parliament of Norway
Ueland was born into a peasant family on the farm of Skaaland, in the parish of Lund, in the landscape of Dalane, on the southwest coast of Norway.
Historians cr him with having popularized politics in Norway, paving the way for individuals of underprivileged backgrounds to rise to positions of political importance. The next oldest of four. Although his formal education had been limited to random local lessons, he had proven an unusual aptitude for learning and a voracious appetite for reading.
When he was 17, he was asked to teach the children in the area.
He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1833, representing the rural constituency of Stavanger Amt (today named Rogaland). He remained a parliament member until 1869, having been re-elected thirteen times.
He became the leader for the peasant and farmer"s movement in politics and earned respect for his deliberate and wise political outlook. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson wrote of him:
Though he is a farmer behind his plough
and a sailor in his boat
he thought as well as anyone
in all the King"s council
When he met in parliament
to promote the cause of farmers
every word gave birth to a ray
in the people"s young day.