Poul Schlüter | |
|---|---|
 Schlüter in 2005 | |
| Prime Minister of Denmark | |
| In office 10 September 1982 – 25 January 1993 | |
| Monarch | Margrethe II |
| Preceded by | Anker Jørgensen |
| Succeeded by | Poul Nyrup Rasmussen |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 3 October 1989 – 5 October 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Hans Peter Clausen |
| Succeeded by | Hans Engell |
| Leader of the Conservative People's Party | |
| In office 1974–1993 | |
| Preceded by | Erik Ninn-Hansen |
| Succeeded by | Henning Dyremose |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 19 July 1994 – 19 July 1999 | |
| Constituency | Denmark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1929-04-03)3 April 1929 Tønder, Denmark |
| Died | 27 May 2021(2021-05-27) (aged 92) Frederiksberg,Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Political party | Conservative People's Party |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
Poul Holmskov Schlüter (Danish pronunciation:[ˈpʰʌwlˈhʌlmskʌwˈslytɐ]; 3 April 1929 – 27 May 2021)[1] was a Danish politician who served asPrime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993.[2][3][4] He was the first (and to date, only) member of the Conservative People's Party to become Prime Minister, as well as the first conservative to hold the office since 1901. Schlüter was a member of theFolketing (Danish parliament) for theConservative People's Party from 1964 to 1994. He was also Chairman of the Conservative People's Party from 1974 to 1977 and from 1981 to 1993.
Schlüter's paternal grandfather was a bricklayer fromHolstein, who had moved to Tønder and married a Dane. His family was not immune to the antagonisms that developed inNorth Schleswig between the Danish majority and the German minority following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites.[5]
Born inTønder, southJutland, he graduated from theUniversity of Copenhagen in 1957 with a law degree, andjoined the bar in 1960.
In 1964, Schlüter was elected to theFolketing for theConservative People's Party. He was elected leader of the Conservatives from 1974, defeatingErik Ninn-Hansen. Though he lost the position in 1977, he regained it two years later.
In 1982, after Prime MinisterAnker Jørgensen was forced to resign, Schlüter constructed a four-party coalition and was appointed his successor. During his time as Prime Minister, he was named "Nordic Politician of the Year" (in 1984). He was subsequently granted a large number of Danish and international awards and medals.
Previously, he had served as a member of theCouncil of Europe from 1971 to 1974, and had headed the Danish Delegation to theNordic Council, where he served as a member of the Council Presidium, in 1978 and 1979. He retired as Prime Minister in 1993 after an inquiry found that he had misinformed the Danish Parliament. The case was known as theTamil Case (Danish:Tamilsagen), as it involved asylum requests fromTamil refugees fromSri Lanka who fled because of thecivil war.[6]
When Schlüter resigned in 1993, he attempted to haveUffe Ellemann Jensen (Venstre) appointed acting prime minister until the ConservativeHenning Dyremose could take over. The attempt was dropped as royal cabinet secretaryNiels Eilschou Holm considered the maneuver unconstitutional. Instead,Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (Social Democrats) was appointed prime minister following a "Queen's round".[7]
Following his retirement as Prime Minister in 1993, Schlüter served as a member of theEuropean Parliament from 1994 to 1999, the first three years as Vice-President of the body.
In 2003, Schlüter was appointed by the Swedish Minister of Co-operation as her special envoy to promote freedom of movement in the Nordic countries. Schlüter was to work on ways of increasing individual freedom of movement and present specific proposals to theNordic Council Session in October 2003.
In 2004, Schlüter co-founded the first Danish free-market think tankCEPOS, and gave the opening speech at CEPOS' opening reception at theHotel D'Angleterre in Copenhagen.[8]
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Schlüter was married three times: On 16 March 1963, he married Majken Steen-Andersen, but the couple divorced in 1978. Their only child, Peter, was born in 1963. Schlüter then married Lisbeth Povelsen on 20 September 1979. She died during her husband's premiership on 17 February 1988.
On 21 July 1989, while still prime minister, Schlüter married the Danish ballet dancerAnne Marie Vessel as his third wife.[9]
Schlüter died ofnatural causes at theBispebjerg Hospital inFrederiksberg,Copenhagen, on 27 May 2021, at the age of 92.[10] According to his family statement, it was announced that Schlüter had fallen asleep peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.[citation needed]
Many Danish politics, who paid tribute to Schlüter included four living prime ministers (Poul Nyrup Rasmussen,Anders Fogh Rasmussen,Lars Løkke Rasmussen, andHelle Thorning-Schmidt), current prime ministerMette Frederiksen, and former Danish foreign ministerPer Stig Møller:
Poul Schlüter was a brilliant man, who deeply loved and respected his profession with a great politics. Through his humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will be endure for all generations to come. He will forever be with us, and will be terribly miss.
Schlüter was interred at theHolmen Church in Copenhagen.
Denmark: Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Dannebrog[11][12]
Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Oak Crown[11][12]
Sweden: Knight Grand Cross of theRoyal Order of the Polar Star[11][12]
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Denmark 1982–1993 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| People | |
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