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Peter Freuchen
Peter Freuchen (born Lorenz Peter Elfred Freuchen, February 2, 1886 - September 2, 1957) was a Danish explorer, author, journalist and anthropologist. He is notable for his role in...view morePeter Freuchen (born Lorenz Peter Elfred Freuchen, February 2, 1886 - September 2, 1957) was a Danish explorer, author, journalist and anthropologist. He is notable for his role in Arctic exploration, especially the Thule Expeditions.
Born in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark, Freuchen spent many years in Thule, Greenland, living with the Polar Inuit. He worked with Knud Rasmussen, crossing the Greenland icecap with him. In 1910, they established the Thule Trading Station at Cape York (Uummannaq), Greenland, which became the home base for a series of seven expeditions between 1912-1933, known as the Thule Expeditions. They also held a series of lectures about their expeditions and the Inuit culture during this time.
Freuchen returned to Denmark in the 1920s and joined the Social Democrats, contributing articles in the newspaper Politiken. From 1926-1932 he served as the editor-in-chief of Ude og Hjemme magazine. He returned to Greenland in 1932 for an expedition financed by the American Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film-studios, concurrently serving as a consultant and scriptwriter, specializing in Arctic-related scripts—most notably MGM’s Oscar-winning Eskimo/Mala The Magnificent (1933), which starred Ray Mala and featured Freuchen as the Ship Captain. He founded The Adventurer’s Club (Eventyrernes Klub in Danish) in 1938.
During World War II, Freuchen was actively involved with the Danish resistance movement against the Germans, despite having lost a leg to frostbite in 1926. He was imprisoned by the Germans and sentenced to death, but managed to escape and flee to Sweden.
Freuchen was awarded the Gold Medal of the International Benjamin Franklin Society for his service to mankind in opening new frontiers, and was the recipient of three Danish literary prizes: the Sophus Michaëlis’ Legat (1938), Herman Bangs Mindelegat (1954) and Kaptajn H.C. Lundgreens Legat (1955).
He died in 1957 at the age of 71.view less