Erik Julius Christian Scavenius (13 July 1877 – 29 November 1962) was the Danish foreign minister from 1909–1910, 1913–1920 and 1940–1943, and prime minister from 1942 to 1943 during the occupation of Denmark until the Danish elected government ceased to function. He was foreign minister during some of the most important periods of Denmark's modern history, including the First World War, the plebiscites over the return of northern Schleswig to Denmark, and the German occupation.