Gaston Thorn
(Luxembourg, 1928-2007) Luxembourgian politician, Prime Minister of his country between 1974 and 1979 and President of the European Commission between 1981 and 1985.Active member of the resistance against the Nazis , his father was arrested by the Germans, accused of trying to dynamite the railway network to stop the Nazi advance in World War II.Both he and his mother also collaborated with the resistance, and in 1943 he was arrested.
Gaston Thorn
After the war he pursued law studies at the Universities of Montpellier, Lausanne and Paris.Although he practiced as a lawyer, he soon entered the world of politics.In 1959 he was elected Member of the Parliament of Luxembourg.Later he presided over the Liberal International.Between 1976 and 1980 he assumed the presidency of the Liberal and Democratic Parties within the European Community.
After the legislative elections of 1968, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.The following year he also took over the Ministry of Physical Education and Sports.In May 1974, general elections were held again; A liberal-socialist coalition government was formed, of which Thorn was elected Prime Minister, a post he held until 1979.Between 1979 and 1980 he was Vice President of the Government and Minister of Justice.On January 1, 1981, he joined the European Commission as President and resigned in this position on January 1, 1985; he was replaced by Jacques Delors.
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