Sverre Johan Iversen (6 November 1879 – 20 October 1967) was Norwegian trade unionist, civil servant and politician for the Labour and Social Democratic Labour parties. He was born in Kristiania as a son of mason Gustav Wilhelm Iversen (1859–1898) and Augusta Josefine Andersen (1858–1921). He attended the Royal School of Drawing from 1897 to 1898, but became a mason's apprentice after his father died. At the same time he had higher ambitions. To work his way upwards in society, he studied economics on his own, took voice classes from an actress to be a better orator, and was active in his trade union. He joined his first trade union in 1898, and the Labour Party in 1899. He chaired the trade unions Murernes Union from 1900 to 1902 and Norwegian Union of Bricklayers. From 1901 to 1903 he wo