Karl Hjortnæs

Karl Lauritsen Hjortnæs (born April 19, 1934 in Hjørring , Region Nordjylland ) is a Danish politician of the Social Democrats who was, with interruptions, a member of the Folketing for 20 years as well as Minister of Justice , Minister for Taxes and Duties and Minister of Fisheries.

Life

Studies and professional career

Hjortnæs was the son of Niels Christian Lauritsen Hjortnæs , who was also a member of the Folketing between 1953 and 1964. After attending school, he began studying medicine at Aarhus University in 1953 , where he was involved in the social democratic student association Frit Forum , of which he was chairman from 1955 to 1957. In addition, he was a temporary teacher in the shop steward courses of the workers' education association AOF (Arbejdernes Oplysningsforbund) , which began his involvement in administrative and organizational work in social democratic associations. After he had not completed his medical degree, he began studying law , which he finished in 1968 as Candidatus juris (Cand. Juris). Alongside his studies, he worked as a teacher for Forsvarets Civilundervisning , an organization for political education in the Danish armed forces that existed between 1952 and 1973 .

After completing his studies, Hjortnæs began working in social services in 1968 as a rehabilitation advisor until 1973 and was also chairman of the Rehabilitation Advisory Association of Denmark from 1970 to 1972.

Member of Parliament and Minister of Justice

At the same time he began his political engagement in the Social Democrats when he unsuccessfully ran for the first time for a member of the Folketing in the elections on January 23, 1968 in the constituency of Æbeltoft . In the elections of September 21, 1971, he was elected for the first time as a member of the Folketing in the constituency of Skanderborg and belonged to it until 1973. He was one of the EC skeptics within his party and was chairman of the Committee of Social Democrats against the EC between 1971 and 1972. After Denmark joined the European Communities in 1973, he remained true to this attitude and advocated a re-exit.

On September 27, 1973, Hjortnæs was appointed by Prime Minister Anker Jørgensen to succeed Knud Axel Nielsen as Minister of Justice ( Minister of Justice ) in his cabinet and belonged to this until the end of Jørgensen's term of office on December 19, 1973 after the defeat of the Social Democrats in the elections on May 4 December 1973 at.

He then became secretary of the Danish Social Administration (Socialstyrelsen) in 1974 , before he was re-elected to the Folketing in the elections of January 9, 1975, this time representing the Aarhus IV constituency until the September 8, 1987 elections . In the Folketing he mainly dealt with tax policy and was chairman of the committee for taxes and duties (Skatte- og Afgiftsudvalget) between 1975 and 1976 and again from 1977 to 1979 . There he was noticed by partly controversial standpoints, such as against the amount of doctor's fees.

Group chairman, tax, duty and fisheries minister

After Dorte Bennedsen became Minister of Education in January 1979, Hjortnæs was her successor as vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Group in the Folketing, which was seen as a concession to the left wing of the Social Democrats. When finally Kjeld Olesen in the European elections in 1979 as member of the European Parliament was elected, he followed this in the summer of 1979 temporarily as a political leader of the Social Democrats in the Folketing.

Prime Minister Jørgensen appointed him on October 26, 1979 to succeed Anders Andersen vom Venstre as Minister for Taxes and Duties (Skatte- og Afgiftsminister) in his new government, after the Social Democrats were able to form a sole government again after the October 23, 1979 election. He was a member of this until January 20, 1981 and was then replaced by his party friend Mogens Lykketoft . As part of this cabinet reshuffle, he took over from Poul Dalsager , who had become EC Agriculture Commissioner , the office of Minister for Fisheries (Fiskeriminister) and held the office until the end of Jørgensen's term on September 10, 1982.

In the elections of May 10, 1988, Hjortnæs was re-elected as a member of the Folketing in the constituency of Aarhus IV , which he now belonged to until the elections on September 21, 1994.

After leaving the Folketing, he was a teacher at the adult education center in Roskilde from 1994 to 2001 and a member of the board of HMK Holding A / S between 1994 and 2007 .

Publications

• 20 år efter - et spil om magt , 1992
• Social Democrat under pres , 2006

Web links

• Biography in Den Store Danske Encyklopædi (online version)