Gaston Thorn
| Gaston Thorn | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of the European Commission | |
|
In office 20 January 1981 – 6 January 1985 |
|
| Preceded by | Roy Jenkins |
| Succeeded by | Jacques Delors |
| Prime Minister of Luxembourg | |
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In office 15 June 1974 – 16 July 1979 |
|
| Monarch | Jean |
| Deputy |
Raymond Vouel Bernard Berg |
| Preceded by | Pierre Werner |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Werner |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gaston Egmond Thorn 3 September 1928 Luxembourg, Luxembourg |
| Died |
26 August 2007 (aged 78) Luxembourg, Luxembourg |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Liliane Thorn-Petit |
| Children | 1 |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Gaston Egmond Thorn (3 September 1928 – 26 August 2007) was a Luxembourg politician who served in a number of high-profile positions, both domestically and internationally. Amongst the posts that he held were the 20th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1974–79), President of the United Nations General Assembly (1975), and the seventh President of the European Commission (1981–85).
Thorn was born in Luxembourg City. His early childhood however was spent in Strasbourg where his father worked for the French railways. At the outbreak of World War II the family returned to Luxembourg. While still at school he engaged in resistance activities during the German occupation, and spent several months in prison. After the war he initially studied medicine in Montpellier, then switched to law, and continued his studies in Lausanne and Paris, and practised law in Luxembourg from 1955. In 1957 he married Liliane Petit, a journalist. He entered politics in 1959, representing the liberal Democratic Party. He was a member of the European Parliament from 1959 – 1969. He was Chairman of the Democratic Party from 1962 to 1969. From 1961 to 1963 he was one of the aldermen of the City of Luxembourg.
Thorn was Foreign Minister and Foreign Trade Minister of Luxembourg from 1969 – 1980, Prime Minister from 1974 – 1979 and Minister of Economics from 1977 to 1980. He was also President of the United Nations General Assembly from 1975 – 1976 for its 30th session.
As Prime Minister from 1974-1979 he presided over a socialist-liberal coalition, between his own Democratic Party and the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party. This was the first Luxembourg government since World War II that did not involve the dominant Christian Social People's Party (CSV), and similarly, he was the first non-CSV prime minister since the war. Interestingly, he was the head of government even though his party had fewer seats in the legislature than their coalition partner.
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