Knud Heinesen (born 1932) is a Danish economist and politician who held various cabinet posts, including the minister of education and minister of finance. In 1985 he retired from politics and involved in business.

Early life and education

Heinesen was born in

Kerteminde Kerteminde (nickname: ''Min Amandas by'', i.e. ''My Amanda's town''), is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 6,042 (1 January 2022).

on 26 September 1932. He was adopted by his aunt due to the fact that his mother died when he was seven years old. He was raised in

Vangede Vangede is a suburb 8 km north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. This area is primarily made up of one and two family houses and two and three story apartment buildings. History The first known references to the village is from 1346 when it i ...

. He attended Aurehøj Gymnasium in

Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...

and graduated in 1951. He studied economics at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. He joined a social democratic student organization, Frit Forum, during his studies at the university. In 1959 he graduated from the University of Copenhagen.

Career

Following graduation Heinesen worked as a high school teacher in Roskilde. In the period 1960–1962 he worked as a secretary in the Labor Movement's business council (AE), but he returned to Roskilde High School to work as the headmaster in 1962 and continued to work there until 1967. In 1963 Heinesen became a member of the Radio Council and in 1967 he was appointed chairman of the council which he held until 1971. The same year he resigned from his job as headmaster and began to involve in politics being a member of the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

. In 1971 Heinesen was elected to the Danish Parliament and was appointed minister of education the same year. He was in office until September 1973 when

Ritt Bjerregaard Ritt Bjerregaard (full name Jytte Ritt Bjerregaard; 19 May 1941 – 21 January 2023) was a Danish politician who was a member of the Danish Social Democrats, and was Lord Mayor of Copenhagen from 1 January 2006 to 2010. Bjerregaard was Educati ...

replaced him in the post in a cabinet reshuffle. Heinesen was appointed minister of budget in the same reshuffle, replacing

Per Hækkerup Per Hækkerup (25 December 1915 – 13 March 1979) was a Danish Social Democratic politician, who served as Foreign Minister of Denmark from 1962 to 1966. Hækkerup, the son of Hans Kristian Hækkerup, a politician, was active in politics from ...

in the post. Heinesen's term was very brief and ended in December that year. In 1975 he was named minister of finance in the second cabinet of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Anker Jørgensen Anker Henrik Jørgensen (13 July 1922 – 20 March 2016) was a Danish politician who served at various times as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Denmark. Between 1972 and 1982 he led five cabinets as Prime Minister. Jørgensen was Presiden ...

. Heinesen resigned from office in 1979, but he served as the vice president of the Social Democrats. In 1981 Heinesen served as the minister of public works when Jens Risgaard Knudsen had to resign from the office due to his involvement in a scandal. Heinesen's last cabinet post was the minister of finance which he held in the period 1981–1982 again in the cabinet led by Anker Jørgensen. Heinesen retired from politics in 1985 and became director of

Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup ( da, Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup, ; ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand, the Øresund Region, and southern Sweden including Scania. It is the second largest airport in the Nordic coun ...

. In period 1989–1995 he served as the director of several companies and was also a member of the boards of different companies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heinesen, Knud 20th-century Danish businesspeople 21st-century Danish businesspeople 1932 births Danish Finance Ministers Danish Education Ministers Members of the Folketing 1971–1973 Members of the Folketing 1973–1975 Members of the Folketing 1975–1977 Members of the Folketing 1977–1979 Members of the Folketing 1979–1981 Social Democrats (Denmark) politicians University of Copenhagen alumni Living people Members of the Folketing 1981–1984 People from Kerteminde