Poul Sørensen (25 June 1904 – 29 June 1969) was a Danish politician who headed the parliamentary group of the Conservative People's Party from 1958 to 1969. He was a follower of the pragmatic

social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on Tradition#In political and religious discourse, traditional social structures over Cultural pluralism, social pluralism. Social conservatives ...

. He also served as the ministry of labor and social affairs between 1950 and 1953 and minister of interior between 1968 and 1969.

Early life and education

Sørensen was born in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

on 25 June 1904. He was trained as a merchant.

Career and activities

Sørensen started his political career in the Young Conservatives and was its deputy chairman from 1931 to 1935. He was elected to Roskilde City Council in 1933 and became a member of the Parliament for

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

on 26 September 1941. During the

occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself Neutral countries in World War II, neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from Military occupation, occupying the country soon after the outbreak of ...

by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

, he joined a group of conservative and social democratic politicians who contributed to the resistance movement. He was arrested several times by the Germans. He continued to serve at the Parliament until 1947. Sørensen was reelected to the Parliament on 5 September 1950. He was appointed minister of labor and social affairs to the cabinet led by

Erik Eriksen Erik Eriksen (20 November 1902 – 7 October 1972) was a Danish politician, who served as the prime minister of Denmark from 1950 to 1953 and as the president of the Nordic Council in 1956. Eriksen was leader of the Danish Liberal party '' Ve ...

and served in the post from 30 October 1950 to 30 September 1953. During this period he became one of the leading figures in the Conservative Party along with

Aksel Møller Aksel Møller (1906–1958) was a leading Danish politician known for his contributions to the conservative thought in Denmark after World War II. He served as the minister of interior from 1950 to 1953 and as the parliament speaker of the Cons ...

. He succeeded Møller as the chairman of the parliamentary group in 1958 following the death of Møller. Sørensen was named as the minister of the interior in

Hilmar Baunsgaard Hilmar Baunsgaard (26 February 1920 – 30 June 1989) was a Danish politician who served as the prime minister of Denmark from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party and the party's leader from 1968 to 1975. He was prec ...

's cabinet on 2 February 1968 and held the post until his death in 1969. He was also a deputy until 1969.

Personal life and death

Sørensen married Nele Topsøe on 7 January 1957. He died in

Hornbæk Hornbæk () is a seaside resort town on the north coast of the Danish island of Sjælland, facing the Øresund which separates Denmark from Sweden. It is part of Helsingør Municipality and is located 12 km northwest of Helsingør. It is mai ...

on 29 June 1969 and was buried in Roskilde.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Poul 1904 births 1969 deaths Ministers of the interior of Denmark Conservative People's Party (Denmark) politicians Mayors of places in Denmark Members of the Folketing People from Roskilde Government ministers of Denmark