Preben Møller Hansen (September 6, 1929 – September 11, 2008) was a Danish politician,

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist, writer and cook. As chairman of (the

Danish Seamen's Union The Danish Seamen's Union was a trade union representing sailors and other workers ships in the Danish merchant navy. The union was founded in 1897, and joined the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) in 1900. However, the union was general ...

), he earned the nickname ('the Sailors' Boss') in Denmark and was well-known for his populist manners, including frequent swearing and

anti-elitist Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be construc ...

remarks.

Life and work

Preben Møller Hansen was born in

Brønshøj Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen, forms, together with Husum, the administrative city district (''bydel'') of Brønshøj-Husum, in Denmark. History The first mention of the village Brønshøj (Brunshoga), is in a letter dated Oc ...

into a religious family. His father was a sexton and his mother wished for Preben to become a priest, but he believed religion to be superstition and became a sailor. He first joined with an EAC ship at the age of 16. During the strikes of 1956, seasoned stewards Jakob Rasmussen and Svend Petersen put him in charge of a sailor's strike. Because of his role in organizing the strike, he was arrested and imprisoned 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 ...

, where he was held for ten days before the Seaman's Federation's lawyer got him released. Møller Hansen was made chairman of the Seaman's Federation in 1968, and was responsible for the union's shift toward

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

and a less compromising stance towards employers. In 1976 he was elected to the

Copenhagen City Council The Copenhagen City Council (Danish: ) is the municipal government of Copenhagen, Denmark, and has its seat at Copenhagen City Hall. The city council is Copenhagen's highest political authority and sets the framework for the committees' tasks. ...

standing for the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

(DKP). After a controversy with another union ( HK/Denmark, then known as the Commercial and Clerical Employees) involving reimbursement for services rendered to the Seaman's Federation, he was expelled from DKP in 1979. He began planning to form a new party with other disgruntled DKP members; this party would be known as ( Common Course), and held its first congress in 1986. In the national parliamentary election of 1987, Common Course gained 2.2% of the votes and four seats, one of which was held by Hansen. Hansen had a difficult time adjusting to the culture of the Folktinget, and his brief tenure in parliament was marked by icy relations with the leaders of other parties. In the 1988 election one year later, Common Course fell out of parliament, achieving 1.9% of the vote and thus failing to pass the 2% election threshold. Following this disappointment, Hansen returned to the Copenhagen City Council in 1994, where he was elected standing for Common Course, and would remain elected until the party's dissolution in 2001. In 1985, Møller Hansen unexpectedly arrived with half a million krone in a cardboard box to give to striking brewery workers. He claimed he received it from a man on the street. After the party's dissolution he became the manager of a traditional

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

in Copenhagen, together with his daughter Janni Pedersen. He was often found cooking in the kitchen, favoring traditional Danish food "as mother used to make it". In 2001, he wrote the cookbook ( ''The Danish Cookbook'') reflecting his lifelong love of cooking.

Bibliography

* Hansen, Preben Møller (1972): ,
About the Seaman's Federation. * Thomsen, Ulla Nygaard (1987): , Ekstra Bladet
Portrait of Møller Hansen. * Hansen, Preben Møller (2001): , Askholms Forlag

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Preben Moller Communism in Denmark Members of the Folketing Danish male writers 20th-century Danish sailors Danish trade union leaders Danish chefs Politicians from Copenhagen 1929 births 2008 deaths Communist Party of Denmark politicians Common Course politicians Leaders of political parties in Denmark 20th-century Copenhagen City Council members