Anker Jørgensen

Prime Minister of Denmark

Anker Henrik Jørgensen 13 July 1922 Copenhagen, Denmark

20 March 2016(2016-03-20) (93) Copenhagen, Denmark

5 October 1972 – 19 December 1973

Danish politician and former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Denmark Anker JørgensenAnker Jørgensen in 199820th Prime Minister of DenmarkIn office 5 October 1972 – 19 December 1973MonarchMargrethe IIPreceded by Jens Otto KragSucceeded by Poul HartlingIn office 13 February 1975 – 10 September 1982MonarchMargrethe IIPreceded by Poul HartlingSucceeded by Poul SchlüterPresident of the Nordic CouncilIn office 1986–1986Preceded by Páll PéturssonSucceeded by Elsi Hetemäki-OlanderIn office 1991–1991Preceded by Páll PéturssonSucceeded by Ilkka SuominenForeign Minister of DenmarkIn office 1 July 1978 – 30 August 1978Prime Minister HimselfPreceded by K. B. AndersenSucceeded by Henning Christophersen Personal detailsBornAnker Henrik Jørgensen (1922-07-13 ) 13 July 1922 Copenhagen, DenmarkDied20 March 2016(2016-03-20) (aged 93) Copenhagen, DenmarkPolitical partySocial DemocratsSpouse(s)Ingrid Pedersen ​ ​(m. 1948; died 1997)​Children4Military serviceAllegiance  DenmarkBranch/service  Royal Danish ArmyYears of service1943UnitGuard Hussar RegimentBattles/warsWorld War II Operation Safari (POW) 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. 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. He has been described as not having the image of a strong or visionary leader, but through his down-to-earth and earnest demeanor, 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.