Hans Hedtoft

This article is about the politician. For the ship, see MS Hans Hedtoft.

Hans Hedtoft
14th Prime Minister of Denmark
In office 30 September 1953 – 29 January 1955
Monarch	Frederik IX
Preceded by	Erik Eriksen
Succeeded by	H. C. Hansen
In office 13 November 1947 – 30 October 1950
Monarch	Frederik IX
Preceded by	Knud Kristensen
Succeeded by	Erik Eriksen
President of the Nordic Council
In office 14 February 1953 – 31 December 1953
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Einar Gerhardsen
Minister of Social Affairs
In office 5 May 1945 – 7 November 1945
Prime Minister	Vilhelm Buhl
Preceded by	Laurits Hansen
Succeeded by	Søren Peter Larsen
Personal details
Born	(1903-04-21)21 April 1903 Aarhus, Denmark
Died	29 January 1955(1955-01-29) (aged 51) Stockholm, Sweden
Political party	Social Democrats
Spouse	Ella Gudrun Ingeborg Holleufer

Hans Hedtoft Hansen (21 April 1903 – 29 January 1955) was a Danish politician of the Social Democrats who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1947 to 1950 and again from 1953 until his death in 1955. He also served as the first President of the Nordic Council in 1953.

Hedtoft was married to Ella Gudrun Ingeborg Holleufer. She died in 1954 from Addison's disease, aged 48.

Political career

Hedtoft was a Social Democrat, and had taken over the leadership of his party from Thorvald Stauning in 1939, but was forced by the Nazis to resign his posts in 1941 because he was too critical of the German occupation of Denmark. In September 1943, he was instrumental in starting the rescue of the Danish Jews.

During his time as Prime Minister, progressive taxation was introduced, together with other reforms. The Public Assistance Act of April 1949 introduced special treatment and assistance (transferred from communal assistance or poor relief) for TB patients, while the law on measures for the deaf and dumb of January 1950 introduced special provisions for the deaf and partially deaf within the framework for the special care of handicapped persons. In addition, the Home Help Act of April 1949 obliged municipalities to operate home help services, while regulations relating to pottery factories were issued.

After the failure to create a Scandinavian defence union, Denmark joined NATO in 1949. In October 1950 his government lost a vote on lifting the rationing of butter. Because this failure to get his policy through signalled that his party had lost its parliamentary support, new elections were called. Erik Eriksen from the Liberal Party was able to form the Cabinet of Erik Eriksen together with the Conservative People's Party on 30 October 1950.

On 30 September 1953 Hedtoft was able to return as Prime Minister, and formed the Cabinet of Hans Hedtoft II, consisting only of the Social Democrats. He did not have the support of the Danish Social Liberal Party as they were unsatisfied with the large amount of resources allocated to the military because of Denmark's obligations to NATO.

On 29 January 1955 Hedtoft died suddenly from a heart attack while in a meeting in the Nordic Council in Stockholm. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by his friend and Foreign Minister H. C. Hansen. The liner MS Hans Hedtoft was named after him. Unfortunately, on its maiden voyage in 1959, the ship struck an iceberg and sank off the coast of Greenland. It is the last ship known to have been sunk by an iceberg, with casualties. There were no survivors.

Hans Hedtoft in his office, Copenhagen, 1954

Grave of Hans and Ella Hedtoft at the Vestre Cemetery in Copenhagen

References

• Kristian Hvidt, Statsministre i Danmark fra 1913 til 1995 (1995)
• Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II, Volume 4 edited by Peter Flora
• INDUSTRIAL SAFETY SURVEY, VOLUME XXVI, 1950
• Hans Hedtoft. Encyclopædia Britannica.