H. C. Hansen

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Hans Christian Hansen

| image = HC Hansen.png

| office = Prime Minister of Denmark

| term_start =1 February 1955

| term_end =19 February 1960

| monarch =Frederik IX

| predecessor =Hans Hedtoft

| successor =Viggo Kampmann

| office1= Minister for Foreign Affairs

| term_start1= 30 September 1953

| term_end1= 8 October 1958

| primeminister1= Hans Hedtoft
Himself

| predecessor1= Ole Bjørn Kraft

| successor1= Jens Otto Krag

| office2= Minister for Industry, Commerce and Seafare

| term_start2= 16 September 1950

| term_end2= 30 October 1950

| primeminister2= Hans Hedtoft

| predecessor2= Jens Otto Krag

| successor2= Ove Weikop

| office3 = Minister for Finance

| term_start3= 13 November 1947

| term_end3= 16 September 1950

| primeminister3= Hans Hedtoft

| predecessor3= Thorkil Kristensen

| successor3= Viggo Kampmann

| term_start4= 5 May 1945

| term_end4= 7 November 1945

| primeminister4= Vilhelm Buhl

| predecessor4= Kristian Hansen Kofoed {{Small|(1943)}}

| successor4= Thorkil Kristensen

| birth_date ={{birth date|1906|11|8|df=y}}

| birth_place =Aarhus, Denmark

| death_date ={{death date and age|1960|2|19|1906|11|8|df=y}}

| death_place =Copenhagen, Denmark

| party = Social Democrats

}}

Hans Christian Svane Hansen (8 November 1906 – 19 February 1960), often known as H. C. Hansen or simply H. C., was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1955 until his death in 1960.

A Social Democrat, Hansen served as finance minister in the unity cabinet from May to November 1945 and again from 1947 to 1950 under Hans Hedtoft. He served as minister of industry, commerce and seafare in the final month of Hedtoft's first cabinet, and later became foreign minister in 1953, and continued in this post during his own premiership until 1958. He was elected leader of his party following the death of Hedtoft.{{cite web|url=https://danmarkshistorien.dk/leksikon-og-kilder/vis/materiale/hc-hansen/|title =H.C. Hansen, 1906-1960|website=danmarkshistorien.dk|access-date=1 November 2019}}

He was the son of Christian Hansen (1875–1944) and Helene Helene Margrethe Sperling (1876–1933).

He attended Samsøgades School until 7th grade. He continued his education as a typist apprentice.

He was a secretary and later chairman in the Social Democratic Youth and became a member of parliament in 1936.

Political career

As Foreign Minister, H. C. Hansen was seen as the natural successor as Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democrats, when his friend Hans Hedtoft died of a heart attack on 29 January 1955. In addition to becoming Prime Minister, H. C. Hansen also retained the post as Foreign Minister until 1958. Among the laws passed by this government included the universal people's pension and the enactment of agricultural price supports. The law on assistance to single mothers of April 1955 introduced special assistance for widows with children and certain other categories of single women, while under the Accident Insurance Act of 1959, an independent board of appeal was set up, waiting times were reduced, compensation for survivors was converted from lump sums into running benefits, and the scheme extended to cover occupational diseases. Under a law on relations between trade union a and employers’ associations, passed in April 1956, as an offshoot of collective agreement on the labour market, a new scheme provided sickness cash benefits significantly higher than in the existing health insurance scheme. The new scheme only covered members of trade unions and those employed by members of the Danish Employers’ Association. In addition, under the Apprenticeship Act of September 1956, theoretical training was introduced at technical schools as part of apprenticeship training. In 1956, universal pension coverage in Denmark was introduced, while the Survivors’ Pension Act of March 1959 introduced a general survivors’ pension scheme, including specific provisions for single women having reached age 60. In 1959, a law was enacted that led to the establishment of the Mental Retardation Service and a decentralised regional system of services for those with intellectual disabilities. That same year, an extension of covered occupational diseases in work injury compensation was carried out. In 1958, an education reform was enacted that reduced educational barriers.{{cite web|url= https://www.visitaarhus.com/aarhus/erkunden/hans-hedtoft-gdk646444|title=Hans Hedtoft|website=visitaarhus.com|access-date=1 November 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://dansketaler.dk/taler/hansen-hans-christian-svane/|title=Statsminister H.C. Hansen, Socialdemokratiet|website=dansketaler.dk|access-date=1 November 2019}}

In March 1957 it had been 4 years since the last election to the Folketing, and as mandated by the Danish constitution new elections were held. After the election H. C. Hansen was able to partner with the Danish Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) and Justice Party of Denmark (Retsforbundet) to form the Cabinet of H.C. Hansen II, also known as the Triangle Cabinet (Trekantsregeringen).{{cite web|url=https://danmarkshistorien.dk/leksikon-og-kilder/vis/materiale/folketingsvalget-1957/|title=Folketingsvalget 1957|website=danmarkshistorien.dk|access-date=1 November 2019}}

On 25 March 1957 France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the Treaty of Rome to create the European Economic Community. To not be left behind the Danish government first wanted to join a Nordic free trade organization, but that failed and Denmark joined the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) on 3 May 1960 instead. Unlike his successors as Social Democratic leaders and prime minister, Hansen did not support Denmark joining the European Economic Community that eventually took place in 1972.{{cite web|url= https://www.efta.int/about-efta/european-free-trade-association|title=About EFTA |website=The European Free Trade Association|access-date=1 November 2019}}

H. C. Hansen died from cancer on 19 February 1960, and was succeeded by Viggo Kampmann in the Social Democratic party and as Prime Minister. He was the second Danish prime minister in a row to die while in office.{{cite web|url= http://www.historie-online.dk/boger/viggo-kampmann|title=Viggo Kampmann|website=Historie-online|access-date=1 November 2019}}

References

Other sources

{{cite book |last1=Bjørn |first1=Claus |author-link=Claus Bjørn |title=The Laws are given force: A Biography of Christian Colbiørnsen (Lovene gives kraft. En biografi af Chr. Colbiørnsen) |title-link=Christian Colbjørnsen |date=1995 |publisher=Lindhardt og Ringhof |isbn=9788726101331 |series= |location=Copenhagen |language=en}}
Kristian Hvidt (1995) Statsministre i Danmark fra 1913 til 1995 (Nyt nordisk forlag A. Busck) {{ISBN|9788717065703}}
Donald F. Busky (2000) Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey (Praeger) {{ISBN|978-0275968861}}
Peter Flora (1988) Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II, Volume 4 (Walter de Gruyter, Inc.) {{ISBN|978-0899253985}}

External links

Christian Albrekt Larsen. (2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=c-T9pxsRthMC&pg=PA56 The Rise and Fall of Social Cohesion: The Construction and De-construction of Social Trust in the US, UK, Sweden and Denmark]. OUP Oxford. {{ISBN|978-0-19-968184-6}}
Heather Keith and Kenneth D. Keith. (2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=DM7vy5N7aTIC&pg=PT154 Intellectual Disability: Ethics, Dehumanization, and a New Moral Community], Wiley, {{ISBN|978-1-118-58644-0}}. p.154
Peter Flora. (1986). [https://books.google.com/books?id=KcM894dMoFcC&pg=PA302 Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II], De Gruyter v. 1, {{ISBN|978-3-11-011130-9}}, pp. 200, 302
[https://books.google.com/books?id=EvYxzGNPrvAC&pg=PA40 Educational Research and Innovation Improving Health and Social Cohesion through Education], (2010). OECD Publishing, 978-92-64-08631-9, p. 40
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