Valdemar Johansen was the Social Democratic mayor of Skive in the years 1929-36. He came to Skive as director of Gammelgård Dampmølle, which had been bought by De Samvirkende Fællesbagerier in 1922. In addition to his positions in Skive, Johansen held a number of positions of trust within the Social Democratic Party and the labor movement nationwide.
Johansen was mayor of a rapidly growing city in a time of crisis, where there was great pressure on the poor and relief funds and on expanding the city’s infrastructure.
The time before Skive
Valdemar Johansen was born in 1890 in Elsinore to a social democratic family. In Elsinore, he worked as an office worker at the shipyard, worked as a journalist at Helsingør Social-Demokrat and began working for workers’ cooperatives in the city. In 1917 he was elected to Elsinore City Council.
In 1922, Johansen moved to Skive after being appointed director of Gammelgård Steam Mill in Brårup, which was owned by a workers’ cooperative “De sammensluttede Fælles- og Andelsbagerierier i Danmark”. The steam mill was in great financial difficulties, but Valdemar Johansen quickly managed to turn things around and was then tasked with helping other cooperative companies around the country.
Political career in Skive
With experience from city council work and the labor movement, the step to participate in local politics in Skive was not a big one. Initially, the newcomer was met with a little scepticism, but he quickly gained trust and was elected to the city council in 1925. From the start, there was a desire for Valdemar Johansen to be a candidate for mayor. However, he initially thought that the unpaid mayoral position would be too much for him, but in 1929 he gave in and was elected mayor.
Valdemar Johansen fell ill and was hospitalized at Skive Hospital during his term of office. At the same time, the workload from the ever-growing municipal administration and the position of director was too much for Johansen, who worked very diligently on all his tasks. The salary for the mayor’s position was too small for him to live on this alone. Therefore, in 1936, Johansen decided that he did not want to continue. He resigned in favor of Woldhardt Madsen.
Politician in a time of crisis
During Valdemar Johansen’s time as a politician in Skive, the city developed a lot. From 1925 to 1935, the population had increased by 25% because the crisis of the 1930s led to immigration from the countryside to the cities. This put pressure on the municipality’s institutions, especially as most of them ended up unemployed and relied on the city’s social welfare system.
During Valdemar Johansen’s time as mayor, there was a great need for expansion of, for example, the supply network in the form of electricity and gas plants. The waterworks also suffered from low pressure and lack of distribution, which meant that running water was not available everywhere. The first paving of the city was carried out and schools and the hospital were expanded. Despite all these projects and new buildings, the municipality managed to get through the crisis without incurring new debt, although taxes had risen considerably.
The new gasworks in particular was a struggle for the mayor to complete. To meet the demands of gas production, Johansen wanted to build a completely new gas plant. The old gasworks had been located in Brårup, but the new one would be built in connection with the harbor for supply reasons. There was opposition to the new plant in the harbor area. It was considered unsightly and better suited to the workers’ Brårup than the Krabbesholm area. Johansen succeeded in getting the project completed and the gas plant was finished in 1934.
Offices outside the city council
Johansen was a key Social Democratic figure at national level. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party’s Executive Committee, the board of the Workers’ Business Council and the management of Arbejdernes Landsbank. In addition, he held a large number of positions of trust within the cooperative sector.
During the Occupation, Johansen was elected as chairman of the State Grain Chamber, helping to secure the food supply in Denmark.
On a local level, Johansen was chairman of De Unges Idræt in Skive, and chairman of the board of P. Sabroes Børnehjem.
Personal characterization
Valdemar Johansen was very hard-working, so much so that he often burned his candle at both ends and weakened his health. He was described as responsible and strong-willed, and as a man of great credibility.
Sources
- 31.pdf (skivekirkegaarde.dk)
- Skive Folkeblad 3/3-1936, 18/5-1948, 22/5-1948
- Stavnsbjerg, Helge: Woldhardt: the founder of modern Skive, Limfjordsforlaget, 2017, p. 22-34
- Aarbog for Skive 1946-55, year 54, p. 9