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).

Torsten Nilsson
Torsten Nilsson, circa 1966.
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office
19 September 1962 – 30 June 1971
Prime MinisterTage Erlander
Olof Palme
Preceded byÖsten Undén
Succeeded byKrister Wickman
Minister for Social Affairs
In office
22 March 1957 – 19 September 1962
Prime MinisterTage Erlander
Preceded byJohn Ericsson
Succeeded bySven Aspling
Minister of Defence
In office
1 October 1951 – 22 March 1957
Prime MinisterTage Erlander
Preceded byAllan Vougt
Succeeded bySven Andersson
Minister of Communications (Transport)
In office
31 July 1945 – 1 October 1951
Prime MinisterPer Albin Hansson
Tage Erlander
Preceded byFritiof Domö
Succeeded bySven Andersson
Personal details
Born
Harald Torsten Leonard Nilsson

(1905-04-01)1 April 1905
Staffanstorp, Sweden
Died14 December 1997(1997-12-14) (aged 92)
Stockholm, Sweden
Political partySwedish Social Democratic Party
SpouseVera Edit Ingeborg Månsson
Children2
ProfessionPolitician
AwardsIllis quorum
1984

Biography

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Nilsson was the son of bricklayer Lars Nilsson and his wife Hilda née Persson.[2] He graduated with a realskolexamen, went to occupational school and then a Volkshochschule in Germany. He worked as a bricklayer 1922–1929, was secretary of the Scania district of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (SSU) 1927–1930, then chairman of the same district 1930–1934. He was the national chairman of SSU 1934–1940. Nilsson was the party secretary of the Swedish Social Democratic Party 1940–1945 and the chairman of the Stockholm Labour Commune 1945–1975.[2]

Nilsson was a member of the Parliament of Sweden from 1941 to 1976 (of the Second Chamber to 1970). He was a government minister continuously from 1945 to 1971. He was Minister of Communications (Transport) 1945–1951 in the Hansson IV and Erlander I cabinets. He was then Minister of Defence 1951–1957 in the Erlander II Cabinet and Minister for Social Affairs 1957–1962 in the Erlander II and Erlander III cabinets. His final ministerial post was as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Erlander III and Palme I cabinets.[2]

In 1935 he married Vera Månsson (born 1906).[2]

Nilsson was elected as an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1956.[2] He was awarded the Illis quorum by the Swedish government in 1984.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Torsten Nilsson". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det 1997 [Who is it] (in Swedish). Norstedt. p. 804. ISBN 9119608527.
  3. ^ "Regeringens belöningsmedaljer och regeringens utmärkelse: Professors namn". Regeringskansliet (in Swedish). January 2006. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
Government offices
Preceded by Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
1962–1971
Succeeded by