Meet Thorvald Stauning – Worker and Prime Minister Hjem // Meet Thorvald Stauning – Worker and Prime Minister Menu Thorvald August Marinus Stauning was born on october 26, 1873. He grew up in a working class neighborhood in Copenhagen. The life for the workers was hard and toilsome and the hours were very long. Stauning was an only child and even though the family didn’t have a lot of money his parents wanted to give him a good education. Staunings’ mother, Caroline Stauning was fascinated with politics and made way for her sons interest in the growing Danish Labour Movement. Once a worker, always a worker In 1887 Stauning became apprenticed to a cigar maker. Alongside he was taking a course in German language and bookkeeping. This way he acquired the skills of the upper class while still holding on to his roots in the working class. This was a important step on the way to a better life and better rights for the workers. Father of the Nation Thorvald Stauning was Prime Minister from 1924-26 and again from 1929-1942 as head of the Danish Social Democrats party. In the 1930’s he was unquestionably the biggest personality in the Danish Socialist Party and in the Labour Movement but also The Father of the Danish Nation. The Danish Socialist Party took a step from being the party of the workers to becoming a party of the people who gained the support of a large number of Danes. Thorvald Stauning passed away in May 1942 and remained in office till the end of his life.