特里格韦•哈尔夫丹•赖伊在1896年7月16日出于挪威的奥斯陆，父亲是马丁•阿尔内森•赖伊，母亲是胡尔达。他在奥斯陆大学接受教育，于1919年获得法学学位。1921年11月8日，他同约迪斯•约根森结婚，育有三名子女——西塞尔，古里和梅特。赖伊先生于1911年加入挪威工党青年组织。1919年至1922年，他担任工党秘书的助理，1922年至1935年担任挪威工会联合会的法律顾问，1926年担任工党全国执行秘书。1935年至1939年，在约翰•尼高斯沃尔所组成的工党政府中，赖伊先生担任司法大臣，继而在1939年7月至9月担任贸易和工业大臣，在第二次世界大战爆发时担任供应和航运大臣。在最后一个职位上，他拟订临时措施，在1940年德军入侵后，为同盟国保全了挪威舰队。同年6月，挪威政府决定从海外继续作战，他于是动身前往英国。1940年12月，他担任代理外交大臣。1941年2月被任命为挪威外交大臣，1936年，赖伊先生当选为挪威议会议员，1945年连选连任。1945年6月12日，赖伊先生参加的政府总辞；他被任命为当时接管政府的临时联合内阁的外交大臣；1945年10月在新的工党政府中再任外交大臣。
1945年4月，赖伊先生率领挪威代表团出席在旧金山举行的联合国国际组织会议，并担任第三委员会的主席，该委员会负责起草宪章中关于安全理事会的规定。1946年1月，他又担任挪威出席在伦敦举行的联合国大会代表团团长。1946年2月1日，赖伊先生当选为联合国第一任秘书长。他于1946年2月2日大会第22次会议上正式就职。1950年11月1日，大会决定请赖伊先生留任，自1951年2月1日起，延长三年。1952年11月，他辞去联合国秘书长的职务。
赖伊先生离开联合国后，先后奉派担任下列职位：奥斯陆和阿克斯胡斯两郡郡长，挪威能源委员会主席。1958年大会决议请挪威奥洛夫国王寻找一个基础，以便埃塞俄比亚和意大利着手解决涉及意大利前殖民地索马里的边界争端。1959年，奥洛夫国王指派赖伊先生为调解人。
TrygveHalvdan Lie was born on 16 July 1896, inOslo,Norway, the son of Martin and HuldaArnesen Lie. He was educated atOsloUniversitywhere he obtained a law degree in 1919. On 8 November 1921, he married HjordisJoergensen. They had three children - Sissel, Guri and Mette.
Mr. Lie became a member of the Norwegian Labor Party Youth Organization in 1911. He was an assistant to the secretary of the Labor Party from 1919 to 1922, a legal adviser to the Norwegian Trade Union Federation from 1922 to 1935, and national executive secretary of the Labor Party in 1926. In the Labor Party Government formed by Johan Nygaardsvold, Mr. Lie was Minister of Justice for the years 1935 to 1939, then Minister of Trade and Industries from July to September 1939 and, at the time of the outbreak of the Second World War, became Minister of Supply and Shipping. In that capacity he evolved the provisional measures that saved the Norwegian fleet for the Allies, after the German invasion in April 1940. In June that year he went toEngland, when the Norwegian Government decided to continue the fight from abroad.
He became acting Foreign Minister in December 1940 and was appointed Foreign Minister of Norway in February 1941. Mr. Lie was elected a member of the Norwegian Parliament in 1936 and was re-elected in 1945. On 12 June 1945, the Government of which he was a member resigned; Mr. Lie was appointed Foreign Minister of the interim coalition cabinet which took over the government at the time, and Foreign Minister in the new Labor Party Government in October 1945.
Mr. Lie led the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization inSan Francisco, April 1945, and was Chairman of Commission III for drafting the Security Council provisions of the Charter. He was also Chairman of the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly inLondonin January 1946. On 1 February 1946, Mr. Lie was elected the first Secretary-General of the United Nations. He was formally installed by the General Assembly at its 22nd meeting on 2 February 1946. The General Assembly on 1 November 1950, continued Mr. Lie in office for a further three years from 1 February 1951. He resigned as Secretary-General of the United Nations in November 1952.
Mr. Lie had the following appointments since leaving the United Nations: Governor of Oslo and Akershus, Chairman of Norway's Board of Energy. By a resolution of the General Assembly in 1958, King Olav ofNorwaywas asked to find a basis on whichEthiopiaandItalycould start to settle a border dispute involving the former Italian colony,Somalia. King Olav, in 1959, appointed Mr. Lie as Mediator.
Mr. Lie passed away on 30 December 1968.
