Torben Per Federspiel was a Danish politician.

Per Federspiel was the son of lawyer Holger Federspiel (1868-1934) and Asta Nutzhorn (1880-1951). Because his father lived in England at the time, he received part of his schooling in Harrow school

Harrow School

Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...

.

Subsequently, he enrolled at the law school of the University of Copenhagen

University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...

. As a student, he was secretary to Viggo Berg, his mother's cousin and son of the left wing leader Christen Berg

Christen Berg

Christen Poulsen Berg was a Danish liberal politician and editor. Often just referred to as “C. Berg”....

. He graduated in law in 1931 and in 1937 joined the Bar of the Eastern High Court. Working for the legal firm of Max Rothenborg brought him into contact with Jewish clients and gave him an insight into the condition of the Jews in Hitler's Germany.

During the German occupation

Occupation of Denmark

Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark began with Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish...

, he was responsible for arranging the financing of a large part of the resistance movement. He was arrested by the Gestapo

Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...

 in October 1943 but managed to escape; however, he was again arrested in April 1944, and spent the next year in Vestre Prison

Vestre Fængsel

Vestre Fængsel is the main jail of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Erected in 1895, it is Denmark's largest prison with a total capacity of 530 inmates...

, Horserød camp and Frøslev camp

Frøslev Prison Camp

Frøslev Camp was an internment camp in German-occupied Denmark during World War II.In order to avoid deportation of Danes to German concentration camps, Danish authorities suggested, in January 1944, that an internment camp be created in Denmark...

. After the war he became first president of the Freedom Fund

Frihedsfonden

Frihedsfonden was founded on May 31 1945. It was a charity for the families of fallen members of the Danish resistance movement....

, a charity for the families of resistance members.

He was Minister for Special Affairs in the Kristensen cabinet

Cabinet of Knud Kristensen

The Cabinet of Knud Kristensen was the government of Denmark from November 7, 1945, to November 13, 1947. The minority cabinet was, except for the foreign minister, fully composed of members of Venstre, led by Knud Kristensen. It was formed after the October 1945 elections, the first since the end...

 from 1945 to 1947, then a member of the Folketing (first chamber of parliament) from 1947 to 1950 and again 1957 to 1973. He was a member of the Landsting

Landsting (Denmark)

The Landsting was a house of the Rigsdag in Denmark from 1849 until 1953, when the bicameral system was abolished. The house had powers equal to the Folketing, which made the two houses of parliament hard to distinguish....

 (second chamber) from 1951 to 1953.

He worked strongly for closer European cooperation, including for Denmark's membership of the European Communities, and from 1960 to 1963 was the only Danish chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...

.

Besides his political activities he ran his law practice, which has since become a part of the large law firm Gorrissen Federspiel Kierkegaard.

He is buried at Hørsholm Cemetery.