Vilhelm Buhl

Vilhelm Buhl (16 October 1881 – 18 December 1954) was a Danish politician, who served twice as Prime Minister of Denmark, from May-November 1942 during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, and again after Danish Liberation Day from May-November 1945.

After graduation and serving as collector of taxes in Copenhagen in the 1920s, Buhl joined the Social Democratic Party, and entered parliament in 1932. In the same year, he became as the Minister of Finance in the cabinet of Thorvald Stauning.

At the beginning of World War II and with the Nazi occupation of Denmark, a determined opponent of Denmark’s forced adherence to the renewed Anti-Comintern Pact in 1941. Following Stauning’s death on 3 May 1942, Buhl began his first term as prime minister, which lasted about six months until he resigned from office on 9 November of the same year. On 5 May 1945 after Adolf Hitler's suicide and Danish Liberation Day, Buhl began his second term as prime minister of the first post-war government, also popularly known as Liberation Cabinet (Danish: Befrielsesregeringen), which lasted about six months until he resigned from office on 7 November of the same year. In the minority Social Democratic government of Hans Hedtoft, Buhl served as the Minister of Economic Coordination from 1947 to 1950, and concurrently as Minister of Justice from March to September 1950.

Buhl retired from politics for health reasons after the 1953 elections. He died on 18 December 1954, at the age of 73.