Viggo Kampman was only Prime Minister for just over two years, but during his time as Prime Minister he achieved a number of political results in areas such as defense and tax issues. In 1960, he was able to run for election under the slogan “Make good times better.”

Olfert Viggo Fischer Kampmann was born on July 21, 1910 in Frederiksberg and died on June 3, 1976 in St. Torøje near Faxe.

Viggo Kampmann graduated with a Master’s degree in 1934 and was employed as a secretary in the Department of Statistics the same year. He became acting secretary in the general secretariat of the government’s employment committee in 1944. During the occupation, Kampmann was active in the resistance group Frit Danmark’s civil servant group, which was particularly involved in spreading the illegal magazine “Frit Danmark” in the state administration.

After the occupation, Kampmann became an economic-statistical consultant in the Ministry of Taxation in 1946 and head of the economic secretariat the following year.

Kampmann was a member of the Danish Parliament 1953-63. He was Minister of Finance in the first ministry Hedtoft Sept.-Oct. 1950, in the second ministry Hedtoft 1953-55 and in the ministry H.C. Hansen 1955-60. After the latter’s death, Kampmann took over as Prime Minister in February 1960 and held this position until 1962, when he had to resign due to illness.

He was then chairman of the State Institute for Life Insurance from 1962 until his death in 1976.

Viggo Kampmann giving a speech in the Danish Parliament, October 1961

In the years after the war, Viggo Kampmann had a major influence on economic policy with the development of the so-called national income calculations.

He was Minister of Finance during the economic crisis of the 1950s, where he had to introduce a number of initiatives to reverse the growing balance of payments deficit.
Kampmann also played a key role in the Faroese unrest in connection with the Klaksvig case, where he helped to restore calm.

During his time as Prime Minister, he achieved political results in areas such as defense and tax issues, and in 1960 he was able to run for election under the slogan: “Make good times better”.

Kampmann had to hand over the premiership to Jens Otto Krag after several serious heart attacks in 1962. He then continued his political work as editor of the magazine Verdens Gang in 1962-1966.