Torsten Nilsson
Torsten Nilsson | |
|---|---|
 Torsten Nilsson, ca 1940s | |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 19 September 1962 – 30 June 1971 | |
| Prime Minister | Tage Erlander Olof Palme |
| Preceded by | Östen Undén |
| Succeeded by | Krister Wickman |
| Minister for Social Affairs | |
| In office 22 March 1957 – 19 September 1962 | |
| Prime Minister | Tage Erlander |
| Preceded by | John Ericsson |
| Succeeded by | Sven Aspling |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 1 October 1951 – 22 March 1957 | |
| Prime Minister | Tage Erlander |
| Preceded by | Allan Vougt |
| Succeeded by | Sven Andersson |
| Minister of Communications (Transport) | |
| In office 31 July 1945 – 1 October 1951 | |
| Prime Minister | Per Albin Hansson Tage Erlander |
| Preceded by | Fritiof Domö |
| Succeeded by | Sven Andersson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harald Torsten Leonard Nilsson 1 April 1905 Staffanstorp, Sweden |
| Died | 14 December 1997 (aged 92) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Political party | Swedish Social Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Vera Edit Ingeborg Månsson (1935–1997; his death) |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Politician |
Harald Torsten Leonard Nilsson (1 April 1905 – 14 December 1997) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician.[1][2] He served as Minister of Defence from 1951 to 1957, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1962 to 1971. Nilsson also served as Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Communications (Transport).
Biography
[edit]Nilsson was the son of bricklayer Lars Nilsson and his wife Hilda (née Persson).[2] He graduated with a real school exam, went to occupational school and then a folk high school in Germany. In 1922–1929, he worked as a bricklayer. Nilsson was secretary of the Scania district of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (SSU) in 1927–1930, then chairman of the same district in 1930–1934 and national chairman of the SSU from 1934 to 1940.[2] Between 1930 and 1934, he also worked as a journalist for the newspaper Arbetet in Malmö, and from 1937 to 1940 as editor of the SSU magazine Frihet. In 1939, Nilsson served as chairman of the International Union of Socialist Youth.[3] He was party secretary of the Social Democratic Party from 1940 to 1945 and chairman of the Stockholm Labour Commune from 1945 to 1975.[2]
Nilsson was a member of the Riksdag from 1941 to 1976 (of the Second Chamber until 1970), and continuously served as a government minister from 1945 to 1971. From 1945 to 1951 he was Minister of Communications (Transport), then Minister of Defence from 1951 to 1957 and Minister for Social Affairs from 1957 to 1962. His final ministerial post was as Minister for Foreign Affairs between 1962 and 1971.[2] In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote several memoirs about his years in politics.[3]
Personal life
[edit]From 1935, Nilsson was married to Vera Månsson (born 1906). They had two children together.[2]
In popular culture
[edit]Swedish multimedia artist Öyvind Fahlström wrote a radio play called Den helige Torsten Nilsson ("The holy Torsten Nilsson"), first broadcast by Sveriges Radio in 1966 and published as a book by Bonniers in 1968. The play, which combines the technique of collage in visual arts with concrete poetry and sound art, intervenes in the contemporary political landscape in Sweden at the time, and names of real people are part of the story.[4]
Awards and honours
[edit]- Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences, 1956[2]
- Illis quorum, 1984[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Torsten Nilsson". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det 1997 [Who is it] (in Swedish). Norstedt. p. 804. ISBN 9119608527.
- ^ a b "Torsten Nilsson (S)" (in Swedish). Sveriges riksdag. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
- ^ Olsson, Jesper. "Den helige Torsten Nilsson". M HKA Ensembles. Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
- ^ "Regeringens belöningsmedaljer och regeringens utmärkelse: Professors namn". Regeringskansliet (in Swedish). January 2006. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1905 births
- 1997 deaths
- Swedish Social Democratic Party politicians
- Members of the Riksdag from the Social Democrats
- Members of the Andra kammaren
- Ministers for foreign affairs of Sweden
- Ministers for social affairs of Sweden
- Ministers for communications of Sweden
- Nuclear weapons programme of Sweden
- Ministers for defence of Sweden
- Recipients of the Illis quorum
- Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences