Peter Adler Alberti

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Peter Adler Alberti
Born(1851-06-10)10 June 1851
Copenhagen
Died14 June 1932(1932-06-14) (aged 81)
Rigshospitalet's dept. C, Copenhagen
Resting placeAssistens Cemetery, Copenhagen
Known forthe Alberti scandal of 1908
TitleJustice Minister of Denmark
Term1901 - 1908
PredecessorAugust Goos
SuccessorSvend Høgsbro
Political party
  • Venstre Reform Party
  • Venstre
Criminal chargeembezzlement
Criminal penalty8 years
Spouses
  • Eugenia née Møller
  • Anna Victoria Bendix née Sundberg

Peter Adler Alberti (10 June 1851, in Copenhagen – 14 June 1932, in Copenhagen) was a Danish politician and swindler, known for the Alberti scandal of 1908.

Career[edit]

Alberti was a solicitor, the son of a respected liberal politician who had been a pioneer of the Danish savings bank system. This family background lead to his own career as the leader of Den sjællandske Bondestands Sparekasse from 1890 but very early he was also involved in speculations and doubtful economic transactions partly due to his ludomania. Later on it has become clear that he had been guilty of severe embezzlement from a very early stage. Perhaps in order to neutralise further attacks he entered politics in 1892 representing the right wing of the liberal movement. However he joined the united Venstre Reform Party in 1895, making himself the right hand of J. C. Christensen.[citation needed]

From 1901 to 1908 Alberti was the first Venstre Minister of Juridical Affairs, in which post he showed himself to be an able and efficient politician although often authoritarian and brash. During this period he was subjected to harder and harder accusations of economic dishonesty by radicals and Social Democrats. Prime minister J. C. Christensen ignored the critics as long as possible but in the end had to ask Alberti to resign. A few months later, on 8 September 1908, Alberti turned himself in to the police for embezzlement of 18 million DKK (1.1 billion DKK as of 2013[1]). He was sentenced to 8 years in 'Tugthus' (imprisonment at hard labor) and was imprisoned from 1912 to 1917. After his release he worked as a clerk.[citation needed]

The affair was a scandal that echoed over all of Europe and also involved Alberti's British business partners. In Denmark it led to the fall of the Christensen cabinet and for some years it poisoned the political atmosphere in Denmark. It is therefore still considered one of the most serious swindles of modern Danish history.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Forbrugerprisindeks: Hovedtal - Danmarks Statistik". dst.dk (in Danish). Statistics Denmark. 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
  • Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, vol. 1, Copenhagen, 1979.
  • Svend Thorsen: De danske ministerier, vol. 2, Copenhagen, 1972.
Political offices
Preceded by Justice Minister of Denmark
24 July 1901 – 24 July 1908
Succeeded by