Lars Erik Taxell (6 April 1913 – 7 October 2013), was a Finnish legal scholar and politician. He was the leader of the

Swedish People's Party of Finland The Swedish People's Party of Finland ( sv, Svenska folkpartiet i Finland (SFP); fi, Suomen ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (RKP)) is a political party in Finland aiming to represent the interests of the minority Swedish-speaking population of Finland ...

in 1956–1966. He was also the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the

Åbo Akademi University Åbo Akademi University ( sv, Åbo Akademi , ) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activiti ...

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, in the 1950s and its chancellor in the 1980s. Taxell was born in

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

, in the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

in 1913. He studied law at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

. He earned a PhD in law in 1946, which dealt with the fundamental question of the relationship between democracy and the rule of law. In 1948–1976, he was a professor of

private law Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the ''jus commune'' that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts and torts (as it is called in the common law), and the law of obligations ( ...

with jurisprudence at the Åbo Academy. His extensive scientific production were mainly corporate law and contract law, later also issues related to law and democracy. As the first person from Finland, Taxell was awarded the Nordic Lawyer Prize in 1984. He served as Chancellor of Åbo Akademy University in 1981–1984, the early years when the private Åbo Akademy became a state university. In 1975 Taxell became an

honorary doctor An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

at the Faculty of law at

Stockholm University Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...

. In 1956, Taxell succeeded

Ernst von Born Baron Ernst Viktor Lorenz von Born (24 August 1885, Pernå - 7 July 1956) was a Finnish lawyer, farmer and politician. He served as Minister of the Interior from March 1931 to December 1932 and from December 1939 to May 1941, Minister without Por ...

as the leader of the Swedish People's Party, the Swedish-speaking minority and mainly

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 ...

party in

; a position he held until 1966 when he was succeeded by

Jan-Magnus Jansson Jan-Magnus Jansson (24 January 1922 – 29 November 2003) was a Finnish politician, a member of the Swedish People's Party. Jansson studied at Svenska normallyceum i Helsingfors and then at the University of Helsinki. Jansson was a Professor of P ...

.Svenska Folkpartiet
, Uppslagsverket Finland. He had a central role in the agreement whereby the Finnish government in 1981 took over the financial responsibility for the private university Åbo Akademi, while the Åbo Akademi Foundation maintained its independent status. Taxell died in 2013 at the age of 100, in

Åbo Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, city and former Capital city, capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura (Archipelago Sea), Aura River, in the region of Southwest Finland, Finland Proper ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taxell, Lars Erik 1913 births 2013 deaths People from Vaasa People from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Swedish-speaking Finns Finnish Lutherans Swedish People's Party of Finland politicians Finnish academic administrators Academic staff of the University of Helsinki Åbo Akademi University Finnish centenarians Men centenarians 20th-century Finnish educators 20th-century Finnish politicians 21st-century Finnish educators 21st-century Finnish politicians Rectors of universities and colleges in Finland 20th-century Lutherans