Poul Schlüter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Poul Schlüter
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Schlüter in 2005
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| Prime Minister of Denmark | |
| In office 10 September 1982 – 25 January 1993 |
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| Monarch | Margrethe II |
| Preceded by | Anker Jørgensen |
| Succeeded by | Poul Nyrup Rasmussen |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 3 October 1989 – 5 October 1989 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Hans Peter Clausen |
| Succeeded by | Hans Engell |
| Leader of the Conservative People's Party | |
| In office 1974–1993 |
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| Preceded by | Erik Ninn-Hansen |
| Succeeded by | Henning Dyremose |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 19 July 1994 – 19 July 1999 |
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| Constituency | Denmark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1929 Tønder, Denmark |
| Died | 27 May 2021 (aged 92) Frederiksberg, Denmark |
| Political party | Conservative People's Party |
| Spouses |
Majken Steen-Andersen
(m. 1963; div. 1978)Lisbeth Povelsen
(m. 1979; died 1988)Anne Marie Vessel Schlüter
(m. 1989) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
Poul Holmskov Schlüter (Danish pronunciation: [ˈpʰʌwl ˈhʌlmskʌw ˈslytɐ]; 3 April 1929 – 27 May 2021) was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993. He was the first 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 the Folketing (Danish parliament) for the Conservative 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.
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Early life
Born in Tønder, south Jutland, he graduated from the University of Copenhagen in 1957 with a degree in law, and joined the bar in 1960.
Political career
In 1964, Schlüter was elected to the Folketing for the Conservative People's Party. He was elected leader of the Conservatives from 1974, defeating Erik Ninn-Hansen. Though he lost the position in 1977, he regained it two years later.
In 1982, after Prime Minister Anker 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 the Council of Europe from 1971 to 1974, and had headed the Danish Delegation to the Nordic 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 the Tamil Case (Danish: Tamilsagen), as it involved asylum requests from Tamil refugees.
When Schlüter resigned in 1993, he attempted to have Uffe Ellemann Jensen (Venstre) appointed acting prime minister until the Conservative Henning Dyremose could take over. The attempt was dropped as royal cabinet secretary Niels Eilschou Holm considered the maneuver unconstitutional. Instead, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (Social Democrats) was appointed prime minister following a "Queen's round".
Following his retirement as Prime Minister in 1993, Schlüter served as a member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1999, the first three years as Vice-President of the body.
Other ventures
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 the Nordic Council Session in October 2003.
In 2004, Schlüter co-founded the first Danish free-market think tank CEPOS, and gave the opening speech at CEPOS' opening reception at the Hotel D'Angleterre in Copenhagen.
Personal life
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 dancer Anne Marie Vessel as his third wife.
Honours
National honours
Denmark: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog
Foreign honours
Luxembourg: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown
Sweden: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
See also
In Spanish: Poul Schlüter para niños
