Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Arvid Rutger Fredriksson Posse (15 February 1820 – 24 April 1901) was the

prime minister of Sweden The prime minister ( sv, statsminister ; literally translating to "Minister of State") is the head of government of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are su ...

from 1880 to 1883.

Family background and education

Posse was born at Rosendal manor in

Malmöhus County Malmöhus County ( sv, Malmöhus län) was a county of Sweden 1719–1996. On 1 January 1997 it was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County. It had been named after Malmöhus, a castle in Malmö, which was also where the governor o ...

, as the son of Governor Count Fredrik Posse and Baroness Magdalena Charlotta Bennet. In 1835 he enrolled at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Malmöhus County Council).

Political career

Posse began his political career as a member of the House of Nobility at the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

of 1856–58. He was then the Chairman of the Banking Committee (''Bankoutskottet''). In the Parliament of 1862-63 he chaired the Appropriations Committee (''Bevillningsutskottet''), where he was a strong proponent of the principles of

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...

, which he would remain throughout his life. During this Parliament, he seriously objected to proposed amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government concerning proposed restrictions on the vote shares of larger land-owners. He feared, among other things, that the amendments, if adopted, could undermine the proposed electoral reform. Posse himself, however, did not support the reform. On the contrary, he was one of the most ardent opponents of the reform and predicted at the Parliament of 1865–66, when he was Chairman of the Committee on Government Affairs (''Statsutskottet''), that the fatherland would meet with an unhappy future if the reform were carried through. Among other things, he feared the new electoral system would put too much power into the hands of the agrarian interests, who would soon forget "the many things that have to live both above and beside them". Notwithstanding this statement, at the first session of the ''Riksdag'''s

Second Chamber Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

in 1867, Posse became the self-appointed spokesman for the agrarian group, effectively making him the indisputed leader of the new Second Chamber. From this group was formed the Lantmanna Party, which, with Posse as leader, soon adopted an oppositional stance towards the Government. For a number of years Posse remained unquestionably the most prominent and powerful personality in Parliament, even if not the most charismatic. During 1867–1881 Posse was a member of the

, representing the district of Herrestad och Ljunit Hundreds, outside

Ystad Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, a ...

. In 1867-75 he was Chairman of the Committee on Government Affairs (at the Extra Parliament of 1871 he was the Vice Chairman of the Select Committee (''Särskilda utskottet'')). As Speaker 1876-1880 he was in charge of the business of the

. He entered government on 19 April 1880, being appointed Prime Minister, following the resignation of Baron Louis De Geer. Additionally Posse was Minister of Finance from 7 December 1880 to 8 March 1881.

Prime minister and administrative court president

As prime minister, Posse now had to solve the important issues that had been on the agenda since the reform of Parliament. The issues concerned the proposed abolition of both the allotment system and the land taxes (''grundskatter'') as part of a re-organization of the military. The odds seemed to be in favor of success, since it was believed that he could count on support from old party friends, and among the opponents of the preceding governments. Large committees were appointed to report on the issues. At the Parliament of 1883 the Posse Government tabled their proposals. They promised a step-by-step removal of the land taxes, and the tenement and allotment duties. In return the Posse wanted Parliament to approve the Government's proposals to establish a military based partly on permanently drafted soldiers (enrolled voluntarily and paid by the state) and partly on conscription. However, the

Upper House An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

's insistence on retaining the allotment system, and, perhaps more importantly, the Lantmanna Party's cutbacks, led to a series of dramas and a defeat for Posse, following which he resigned as Prime Minister on 13 June 1883. He was then appointed President of the Administrative Court of Appeal, which he remained until 1889.

Political and scientific work

As member of the First Chamber for South Kalmar County 1882–1890, Posse kept a low profile, but opposed the introduction of grain tariffs during the 1887 struggle between free traders and protectionists. He also expressed his sympathies for a moderate suffrage reform. When speaking in Parliament, Posse expressed himself succinctly and clearly, often emphatically but always with calm and dignity. He was elected a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry ( sv, Kungliga Skogs- och Lantbruksakademien), formerly the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture (''Kungl. Lantbruksakademien''), founded in 1813 at the initiative of Crown Prince Charles, is on ...

(1879) and an honorary member of the Royal Physiographical Society in Lund (1878) and the Royal Naval Officers' Society (1880). He died on 24 April 1901 in Stockholm. ''This article is translated from the equivalent Swedish-language Wikipedia article, which incorporates text from Nordisk familjebok, published 1904–1926, now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

.''

Relative

In 1912, his niece, Sigrid Lindström (née Posse) (1856–1946), survived the sinking of RMS ''Titanic'' as a first-class passenger.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Posse, Arvid 1820 births 1901 deaths People from Helsingborg Municipality Prime Ministers of Sweden Swedish Ministers for Finance Swedish counts 19th-century Swedish politicians Members of the Första kammaren Speakers of Andra kammaren Members of the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund