Michael Pedersen Friis

Michael Pedersen Friis (22 October 1857 – 24 April 1944) was Prime Minister of Denmark from 5 April 1920 to 5 May 1920. His cabinet was called the Cabinet of M.P. Friis.[1]

Michael Pedersen Friis
7th Prime Minister of Denmark
In office 5 April 1920 – 5 May 1920
Monarch	Christian X
Preceded by	Otto Liebe
Succeeded by	Niels Neergaard
Personal details
Born	22 October 1857 Odense
Died	24 April 1944 (aged 86) Copenhagen
Political party	Not affiliated with any party
Alma mater	University of Copenhagen

Biography

M.P. Frii became cand.jur. from the University of Copenhagen in 1883. From 1904 to 1911 was head of department in the Ministry of Justice. He was from 1911 to 1923 he was the public trustee of Denmark. On 29 March King Christian X had dismissed Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle and replaced him with Otto Liebe, but this use of power by the king triggered the Easter Crisis of 1920 (Påskekrisen 1920) and Otto Liebe resigned 5 days later. Michael Pedersen Friis was then appointed head of a caretaker cabinet (forretningsministerium) to lead Denmark until elections could be held and a new government appointed.[2]

Under Michael Pedersen Friis, the necessary changes were made to integrate the land acquired in the Schleswig Plebiscite into the election rules, and new elections were held. On 5 May 1920 Niels Neergaard became the new Prime Minister in a government consisting only of the Liberal party (Venstre).

References

1. "Friis, Michael Petersen". Salmonsens konversationsleksikon. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
2. Ole Lange. "Påskekrisen 1920". Den Store Danske, Gyldendal. Retrieved November 1, 2019.