Bo Gösta Bohman (15 January 1911 – 12 August 1997) was a Swedish politician and the leader of the Swedish

liberal conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...

Moderate Party The Moderate Party ( , , M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative* * * * * List of political parties in Sweden, political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free ma ...

from 1970 to 1981, during a period in which the party strengthened its position in Swedish politics. He served as minister of economics during the three-party centre-right Swedish governments 1976–1978 and 1979–1981. He has since become a model for many Moderate politicians, especially in the

Moderate Youth League The Moderate Youth League ( ; MUF), officially known in English as the Swedish Young Conservatives, is the youth wing of the Swedish Moderate Party. Of the political youth organizations that received financial support from the Swedish Agency ...

. His leadership saw a period of liberalisation of the Moderate policies, a process which continues to this day.

Early life

Bohman was born on 15 January 1911 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, to Conrad Bohman, a managing director, and his wife, Berta (née Gabrielsson). He completed his ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' (upper secondary school exam) in 1930 and his reserve officer exam in 1932. In 1943, he reached the rank of captain in the

Svea Artillery Regiment The Svea Artillery Regiment (), designation A 1, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from Svealand, and it was also gar ...

's reserve. He earned a law degree (Candidate of Law) in 1936.

Career

Bohman served as a court clerk from 1936 to 1939 before becoming an assistant director at the Stockholm Master Builders' Association (''Stockholms byggmästarförening'') from 1939 to 1942. In 1942, he was appointed acting secretary to the town-building department (''stadsbyggnadsroteln''). He then served as secretary of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (''Stockholms handelskammare'') from 1942 to 1948, later becoming its deputy CEO from 1948 to 1970. He was chairman of the

from 1970 to 1981 and served as minister of economics from 1976 to 1978 and again from 1979 to 1981. He was a member of the Stockholm City Real Estate Board (''Stockholms stads fastighetsnämnd'') from 1945 to 1961 and chairman of the Stockholm Association of Reserve Officers (''Reservofficerssällskapet i Stockholm'') from 1954 to 1957. In 1958, he was elected to the Second Chamber of Parliament ( Right Party). He participated in the Defence Committees of 1960 and 1962, the 1964 Defence Inquiry, and several parliamentary committees, including those on administrative courts, budget reform, and government organization. He chaired the 1964 Fortifications Inquiry and held various leadership or advisory roles in business organizations. Bohman was a member of parliament from 1958 to 1991, serving as chairman of the Committee of Supply (1965–1970), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (1967–1973), and the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs (1966–1976). He chaired the Stockholm Conservative Association (''Stockholmshögerns förbund'') from 1961 to 1963 and was first vice chairman of the Moderate Party from 1965 to 1970. He also served on the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO (''Svenska unescorådet'') (1959–1963), the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe (1963–1976, 1979), the National Swedish Accounting and Audit Bureau (''Riksrevisionsverket'') (1963–1974), the Swedish Post Office Board (''Poststyrelsen'') (1965–1970), and the

Swedish National Police Board The Swedish National Police Board (, RPS) was the central Government agencies in Sweden, administrative authority for the police in Sweden from 1 January 1965 to 1 January 2015, when the Swedish Police Authority was established. The Swedish police ...

(1985–1993).

Personal life

In 1939, Bohman married librarian (1913–1994), the daughter of the lawyer Torsten Mossberg and Elin (née Björlin). They had five children: Inger (born 1942), (born 1943), Hans Johan (born 1945), Maria (born 1953), and Eva-Lotta (born 1955). His daughter was married to former

Prime Minister of Sweden The prime minister of Sweden (, "minister of state") is the head of government of the Sweden, Kingdom of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are subject to th ...

Carl Bildt Nils Daniel Carl Bildt (born 15 July 1949) is a Swedish politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994. He led the Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, appearing as its lead candidate in four general elections, b ...

from 1984 to 1997. During the 1980s, his wife Gunnel became increasingly absent and uncontactable. In 1990, Bohman wrote a book about his experiences, ''The Story of Gunnel - in the Shadow of Alzheimer's''. Gösta Bohman was known for his love for the

Stockholm archipelago The Stockholm Archipelago () is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Part of the archipelago has been designated as a Rams ...

, where he had a house on a little island in an archipelago named Sundskär located within the

Norrtälje Municipality Norrtälje Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the stad (Sweden), city of Norrtälje. It is the largest and northernmost municipality of Stockholm County a ...

, and often used similes inspired by it in speech and articles. His book ''Thoughts On My Sweden'' () outlined his political views in this context. He also wrote the book (''Sundskär, An archipelago neighboring the sea'').

Awards and decorations

Swedish

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

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 Gusta ...

'', 18th size (1987) * Commander of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

(6 June 1969) * Royal Order of Vasa - Commander

Commander of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

(6 June 1964) * Swedish Reserve Officers' Association Badge of Honor (''Svenska reservofficersföreningens hederstecken'')

Foreign

2nd Class / Commander of the

Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity ( ) was founded as a national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or foreigners who made an outstanding co ...

''Pro Benignitate Humana'' * The Finnish Reserve Officers' Association's Golden Badge of Merit * Norwegian Conscript Officers' Golden Badge of Merit

Bibliography

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References

External links