Gunnar Helén (5 June 1918 – 8 December 2002) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician. He was party leader of Liberal People's Party 1969–1975, Governor of

Kronoberg County Kronoberg County (; sv, Kronobergs län) is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. Kronoberg is one of three counties in the province of Småland. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar, and Blekinge. Its capital is ...

1965–1970 and of

Stockholm County Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or '' län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm ...

1977–1984. Helén was awarded the

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gust ...

in 1984 and 1987.

Biography

Helén was the son of the supervising teacher Gustaf Helén and Ingeborg Andersson and married in 1938 to the assistant professor Ingrid Rying, daughter of the head teacher Karl-Johan Rying and Märta Eriksson. Gunnar Helén was also a brother-in-law to the author Matts Rying. Like his son Gunnar, his father Gustaf Helén was a liberal, while his father-in-law Karl-Johan Rying was an active Social Democrat. After graduating in Örebro, Gunnar Helén studied at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

, where in 1946 he became a doctor of philosophy in Nordic languages on a dissertation on

Birger Sjöberg Birger Sjöberg (1885–1929) was a Swedish poet, novelist and songwriter, whose best-known works include the faux-naïf song collection ''Fridas Bok'' (Frida's Book) and the novel ''Kvartetten Som Sprängdes'' (The Quartet That Split Up), a s ...

. As a journalist, he worked at Radiotjänst, where he did a famous report from

Kungsgatan, Stockholm Kungsgatan (Swedish for "King's Street") is a street address in central Stockholm. It was formerly a red-light district and is currently a busy shopping street. At its western end it is connected to Kungsholmen by Kungsbron bridge, from where ...

on Friday, May 7, 1945, but also in 1939 announced that the Second World War had broken out with England and France declaring war on Germany on September 3. Helen also did the first youth program on radio We open a window in 1944, including a report from Högbacka dance floor. Helén also worked at Stockholms-Tidningen, where he was a cultural journalist, and at Svenska Morgonbladet. He also wrote reviews in the home magazine Katrineholms-Kuriren. In 1956, he was appointed associate professor at Stockholm University. He was a Member of the Riksdag 1953–1966 for Stockholm County's constituency in the second chamber, and 1970–1976 for the City of Stockholm constituency in the first chamber, later the unicameral Riksdag. As a Member of Parliament in the 1950s, he had a great influence on school policy and played an important role in the investigative work that preceded the introduction of compulsory school, a form of schooling that later changed so that much of what Gunnar Helén sought was lost. Gunnar Helén was County Governor of Kronoberg County 1965-1969 and County Governor of Stockholm County 1977-1984. He was chairman of the board of Sveriges Radios from 1978 to 1984, and subsequently on the board of the Nerikes Allehanda newspaper group. Mr and Mrs Helén are buried in Västra Vingåker cemetery.

References

1918 births 2002 deaths Governors of Kronoberg County Governors of Stockholm County Members of the Riksdag from the Liberals (Sweden) Leaders of political parties in Sweden County governors of Sweden Uppsala University alumni People from Vingåker Municipality Recipients of the Illis quorum {{Liberal-stub

Biography

See also

References