Carl Theodor Zahle

Carl Theodor Zahle
5th Prime Minister of Denmark
In office
21 April 1918 – 30 March 1920
MonarchChristian X
Preceded byHimself (as Council President)
Succeeded byOtto Liebe
Council President of Denmark
In office
28 October 1909 – 5 July 1910
MonarchFrederik VIII
Preceded byLudvig Holstein-Ledreborg
Succeeded byKlaus Berntsen
In office
21 June 1913 – 20 April 1918
MonarchChristian X
Preceded byKlaus Berntsen
Succeeded byHimself (as Prime Minister)
Minister of Justice
In office
30 April 1929 – 4 November 1935
Prime MinisterThorvald Stauning
Preceded bySvenning Rytter
Succeeded byKarl Kristian Steincke
In office
21 June 1913 – 30 March 1920
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byFrits Bülow
Succeeded byOtto Liebe
In office
28 October 1909 – 5 July 1910
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded bySvend Høgsbro
Succeeded byFrits Bülow
Personal details
Born(1866-01-19)19 January 1866
Roskilde, Denmark
Died3 February 1946(1946-02-03) (aged 80)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Political partySocial Liberal
Alma materUniversity of Copenhagen

Carl Theodor Zahle (19 January 1866 in Roskilde – 3 February 1946 in Copenhagen), was a Danish lawyer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1909 to 1910 and again from 1913 to 1920. In 1895, he was elected as a member of the lower chamber of the Danish parliament, the Folketing, for the Liberal Party (Venstrereformpartiet). A campaigner for peace, in 1905 he co-founded the Social Liberal Party (Det Radikale Venstre) together with other (mostly pacifistic) disgruntled members of Venstrereformpartiet. He continued on as a member of the Folketinget for Det Radikale Venstre until 1928, when he became a member of the upper chamber of parliament (Landsting). In 1929 he became Justice Minister, a post which he held until 1935.[1]

Zahle was instrumental in starting negotiations for a new Danish–Icelandic Act of Union (Dansk-Islandsk Forbundslov) in 1917, which resulted in Iceland being recognized as a sovereign nation in a personal union with the king of Denmark the following year.[2]

  1. ^ "Carl Theodor Zahle". NE Nationalencyklopedin AB. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Dansk-Islandsk Forbundslov, 30. november 1918". danmarkshistorien.dk. Retrieved 1 November 2019.