"Denmark PM" Anker Jørgensen Signed FDC Dated 1943 For Sale

Up for sale "Prime Minister of Denmark" Anker Jørgensen Hand Signed First Day Cover Dated 1943. 

ES-7284E

Anker

Henrik Jørgensen (13

July 1922 – 20 March 2016) was a Danish politician who served at various times

as Prime 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. Anker Henrik Jørgensen was born on 13 July

1922 to Johannes Albert Jørgensen and Maria Jørgensen, who both died of tuberculosis while he was a child. He was brought up

by close members of his family. He studied at the Royal

Orphanage School [dk], but left

after the 7th grade to work at a warehouse. Through his job as a warehouse

worker he became active in the Special Workers' Union, from January 2005 merged

into Fagligt Fælles Forbund,

and in the Social Democratic party. He served his conscription period in

1943, at the Guard Hussar

Regiment Mounted Squadron in Næstved. He was part of the fighting when the barracks was

attacked by the Germans during Operation Safari. After being repatriated, Anker Jørgensen

then joined the resistance in Copenhagen. He began his political career early, and in 1950

he became a member of a trade union. He led

the Danish General Workers'

Union between 1968 and 1972. Whilst he was chairman of the

union, he was elected to the Parliament of Denmark for

the first of many times in 1964.[2] As a representative of unskilled workers, a

rivalry developed with the leadership of the skilled workers' unions, such of Trade Unions (LO), and its leader Thomas Nielsen [dk],

who referred to Jørgensen as "a complete idiot". As

a member of parliament he was responsible for labor related issues. He located

himself on the left wing of the Social Democratic party, speaking out for

unskilled workers and the jobless, and criticized the leadership of

Parliamentary group leader Per Hækkerup. He also gained attention for his vocal critique

of American engagement in Vietnam. Before the 1972 referendum about whether Denmark should join

the European Economic

Community (ECC), he went against the stated interest of his own

labor union, arguing for a yes. A day after the EEC referendum, Jørgensen

succeeded Jens Otto Krag as Prime Minister of Denmark. He held this position for 14 months

until the 1973 election when

he was succeeded by liberal Poul Hartling. After just over a year in opposition, he

returned as prime minister with a Social Democratic minority government. In

1978, he expanded the government by including the Liberals in a grand coalition government in order to deal with economic

issues. This coalition lasted until 23 October 1979, and for a brief period of two months in 1978 he

concurrently held the position of foreign minister. During this time, Jørgensen

presided over the electoral

age referendum. For the rest of his period in office, he led again

led a Social Democrat minority government. Unable to muster support for tax

increases and spending cuts, he stepped down as prime minister without calling

an election on 10 September 1982, ceding the premiership to the Conservative

leader Poul Schlüter. He did,

however, remain as leader of the Social Democrats until his resignation in 1987

when he was succeeded by Svend Auken. He remained as a member of parliament until 1994.

Throughout his time in office, he showed strong leadership - guiding Denmark

into the EEC and further developing Denmark’s social and welfare systems - but

his policies also created a huge state budget deficit, which was compensated

for by large state loans, increasing the Danish state debt substantially.

Numerous cuts were introduced to counteract this. Nevertheless, a wide range of

progressive social reforms were introduced during Jørgensen's time as prime

minister. A new Social Assistance Act introduced in 1975 simplified

administration, provided new types and (in general) substantially higher

benefits, together with new criteria for granting benefits. The New Basic

Education Act of June 1975 introduced 9-year general, basic education with

optional 10th year and pre-school class, and also established the comprehensive

principle for basic education. The National Holiday Act of April 1979 extended

the obligatory number of holidays to 30 days. Under the law on entitlement to

unemployment benefits of June 1976, the permanently self-employed became

entitled to membership in unemployment funds, and consequently to unemployment

benefits. The Severance Pay Act of November 1978 introduced pre-retirement

remuneration which provided unemployment benefits (for those between the ages

of 58 and 66) in cases of voluntary retirement. Under the Job Offer Scheme

introduced in June 1980, unemployment benefit entitlement for long-term

unemployed persons could not be lost without an offer of a new job. A March

1975 law on regulation of housing conditions improved tenant conditions, while

the Work Injury Insurance Act of March 1978 provided equality for widows and

widowers