Anker Jørgensen
Anker Henrik Jørgensen (13 July 1922 – 20 March 2016) was a Danish politician who served at various times as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Denmark. Between 1972 and 1982 he led five cabinets as prime minister. Jørgensen was president of the Nordic Council in 1986 and 1991.
Anker Jørgensen | |
|---|---|
Jørgensen in 1975 | |
| 20th Prime Minister of Denmark | |
| In office 5 October 1972 – 19 December 1973 | |
| Monarch | Margrethe II |
| Preceded by | Jens Otto Krag |
| Succeeded by | Poul Hartling |
| In office 13 February 1975 – 10 September 1982 | |
| Monarch | Margrethe II |
| Preceded by | Poul Hartling |
| Succeeded by | Poul Schlüter |
| President of the Nordic Council | |
| In office 1 January 1986 – 31 December 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Páll Pétursson |
| Succeeded by | Elsi Hetemäki-Olander |
| In office 1 January 1991 – 31 December 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Páll Pétursson |
| Succeeded by | Ilkka Suominen |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1 July 1978 – 30 August 1978 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | K. B. Andersen |
| Succeeded by | Henning Christophersen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anker Henrik Jørgensen 13 July 1922 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Died | 20 March 2016 (aged 93) Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Political party | Social Democrats |
| Spouse |
Ingrid Pedersen
(m. 1948; died 1997) |
| Children | 4 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Denmark |
| Branch/service | Royal Danish Army |
| Years of service | 1943 |
| Unit | Guard Hussar Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II
|
He led or represented the Social Democratic Party for well over 30 years. His legacy is ambivalent. Politically, he is considered by many right wing followers to have been largely unsuccessful, having failed to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. Nonetheless, he is generally respected and even loved throughout Denmark for his personal integrity and down-to-earth personality, often exemplified by his refusal to move into the official prime minister residence Marienborg, preferring to stay with his wife in their small apartment in a working class area of Copenhagen.
While he has been described as not having the image of a strong or visionary leader, during his terms as prime minister he managed to maintain wide support for the Danish welfare state. In 1990, he was chosen to travel to Iraq to negotiate the release of a group of Danish hostages with Saddam Hussein.