Carl Falck, Norwegian businessman, Died at 109

Carl Wilhelm Andreas Falckwas born on May 27, 1907, in Tønsberg, South Norway and died on July 23, 2016.

He was a Norwegian businessman, centenarian, and Norway’s oldest living man.

Carl was appointed head of the wholesalers’ organization Norges Grossistforbund from 1948 to 1975.

Falck received his master’s degree in law (cand.jur.) in 1931 at the University of Oslo and subsequently held various positions as jurist in the Norwegian Police Service, a deputy judge , assistant lawyer and as jurist in the Ministry of Social Affairs. After 1939, he mostly worked within various business organisations.

During 1948, he was named CEO of the wholesalers’ organization Norges Grossist-forbund, (however, in 1990 was merged into the Federation of Norwegian Enterprises).

During this position and as part of the Marshall Plan, he spent two months in large cities in the US in 1952 to study the American wholesale industry.

Carl took interest in how the Americans kept stock in big one-level warehouses, as opposed to the Norwegian practice where stocks often were kept in narrow multilayer warehouses where ladders were needed to get the stocks in and out.

As he returned to Norway, he advocated what he thought was the more effective American system.

Carl published a book about structural changes in the wholesaler industry in 1969.

Carl Falck was a member of various Norwegian and European committees during his career.

At age 105, in 2012, Falck became Norway’s oldest man and since then was portrayed by various media outlets.

As he was still in good health, he lived in his own home until 2012.

Then following that he moved into a nursing home in Oslo.

Carl used to smoke until he was around 50.

During his eighties, he started going to a gym, and later worked out daily at the nursing home.

Carl Falck passed away at 109 years old.