Torben Per Federspiel (9 April 1905 – 27 November 1994) was a Danish politician.
Per Federspiel was the son of lawyer Holger Federspiel (1868–1934) and Asta Nutzhorn (1880–1951). Because his father lived in England at the time, he received part of his schooling in
Harrow school
(The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God)
, established = (Royal Charter)
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school
, religion = Church of E ...
.
Subsequently, he enrolled at the law school of the
University of Copenhagen. As a student, he was secretary to Viggo Berg, his mother's cousin and son of the left wing leader
Christen Berg
Christen Poulsen Berg (18 December 1829 – 28 November 1891) was a Danish liberal politician and editor.
Biography
Christen Berg was born at Fjaltring parish in Lemvig Municipality, Denmark to a farm family of North Jutland. In 1848 he beg ...
. He graduated in law in 1931 and in 1937 joined the Bar of the Eastern High Court. Working for the legal firm of Max Rothenborg brought him into contact with Jewish clients and gave him an insight into the condition of the Jews in Hitler's Germany.
During the
German occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
, he was responsible for arranging the financing of a large part of the resistance movement. He was arrested by the
Gestapo in October 1943 but managed to escape; however, he was again arrested in April 1944, and spent the next year in
Vestre Prison
Vestre Prison ( da, Vestre Fængsel) is the main jail of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Erected in 1895, it is Denmark's largest prison with a total capacity of 530 inmates. It primarily houses pretrial detainees, not convicted felons.
History
...
, Horserød camp and
Frøslev camp. After the war he became first president of the
Freedom Fund
The Freedom Fund is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to identifying and investing in the most effective frontline efforts to end slavery. In 2017, the International Labour Organization reported that on any given day in 2016, the ...
, a charity for the families of resistance members.
He was Minister for Special Affairs in the
Kristensen cabinet
The Cabinet of Kristensen was the government of Denmark from November 7, 1945, to November 13, 1947. The minority cabinet was, except for the foreign minister, fully composed of members of Venstre, led by Knud Kristensen. It was formed after the ...
from 1945 to 1947, then a member of the
Folketing (first chamber of parliament) from 1947 to 1950 and again 1957 to 1973. He was a member of the
Landsting (second chamber) from 1951 to 1953.
He worked strongly for closer European cooperation, including for Denmark's membership of the European Communities, and from 1960 to 1963 was the only Danish chairman of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Besides his political activities he ran his law practice, which has since become a part of the large law firm Gorrissen Federspiel Kierkegaard.
He is buried at Hørsholm Cemetery.
1905 births
1994 deaths
Members of the Folketing
People educated at Harrow School
University of Copenhagen alumni
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