Robert Themptander

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
Robert Themptander
Oscar Robert Themptander (from Hildebrand, Sveriges historia).jpg
Prime Minister of Sweden
In office
16 May 1884 – 6 February 1888
Monarch Oscar II
Preceded by Carl Johan Thyselius
Succeeded by Gillis Bildt
Personal details
Born 14 February 1844
Stockholm, Sweden
Died 30 January 1897 (aged 52)
Stockholm, Sweden
Political party Independent liberal
Spouse(s) Frida Dahlberg
Alma mater Uppsala University
Oscar Robert Themptander (14 February 1844 – 30 January 1897) was a Swedish
politician and public official who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1884 to
1888[1] during the reign of King Oscar II, and Governor of Stockholm County from
1888 to 1896. He was also Minister for Finance.

At the age of 40 years and 92 days, Themptander is the youngest person to become
Prime Minister in Swedish history. His death at the age of 52 years and 351 days
makes him also the youngest prime minister at his death.

Biography
Robert Themptander was born in Stockholm, the son of army lieutenant Nils
Themptander and wife Adolphina Laurent. After law studies in Uppsala and a highly
successful career in the civil service he became in 1879 a member of the Second
Chamber. There from the beginning he was a member of the centre party, a party
loyal to then incumbent government. Gradually he began move orientate towards the
agrarian party. He married in 1874 with Frida Dahlberg, with whom he had three
children. In the government of Arvid Posse in 1880, he became Minister without
Portfolio and, in 1881 Minister of Finance. He stayed on in this office in three
years before he became Prime Minister at the age of 40. Only Louis De Geer had
become Prime Minister at a younger age.[verification needed]

Through good contacts in different parliamentary positions he was successful in

breaking the political gridlock concerning the defense question. This issue was
finally achieved in the year of 1885. He was less successful in his goal to protect
the free trade system which Louis De Geer and Minister of Finance Gripenstedt had
instituted during their time in office. This political economy had with many good
benefits contributed to the modernization of Sweden. As food prices on the world
markets sank because of increased imports from all of North America, demand
increased for high tariffs to protect Swedish interests.

Eventually Themptander was constrained to retire, yet not through defeat in the
1887 election, when his resistance towards the new duty-friendly winds of opinion
meant more election debate than before. Riksdag candidates were compelled to answer
about which views they had, if they were Free Traders or Protectionists. This was
seen by many at the time as uncommon. Lifelong members of the Riksdag had
previously been elected on the basis of their high personal reputation and
confidence. The Free Traders won in Stockholm and gained twenty-two parliamentary
seats. But it appeared that one member had not paid his taxes and therefore the
whole list was declared invalid. Lifelong members of the Riksdag who were free
trade supporters were replaced with tariff supporters. Therefore, the Second
Chamber returned a protectionist majority.

Themptander attempted to have King Oscar II announce a new election, but the King
denied the request. Then Themptander resigned as Prime Minister. From 1888 to 1896
he was Stockholm County Governor and afterwards director for Trafik AB Grängesberg–
Oxelösund.

Robert Themptander died on 30 January 1897 in Stockholm.

References
This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the Swedish-language
Wikipedia, which was accessed in the version of November 11, 2005.

Nevéus, Torgny (1965). Ett betryggande försvar: värnplikten och arméorganisationen

i svensk politik 1880-1885 [A Reassuring Defense: conscription and army
organization in Swedish politics 1880-1885]. Studia historica Upsaliensia, 0081-
6531 ; 20Scandinavian university books, 99-0103642-9 (in Swedish). Stockholm.
"Sweden" (in Swedish). World Statesmen. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
Political offices
Preceded by
Carl Johan Thyselius
Prime Minister of Sweden
16 May 1884–6 February 1888 Succeeded by
Gillis Bildt
vte
Prime Ministers of Sweden
Categories: 1844 births1897 deathsPeople from StockholmPrime Ministers of
SwedenGovernors of Stockholm CountyCounty governors of SwedenSwedish Ministers for
FinanceUppsala University alumni19th-century Swedish politiciansMembers of the
upper house of the RiksdagKnights of the Order of Charles XIII
Navigation menu
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
ArticleTalk
ReadEditView history
Search
Search Wikipedia
Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
Contribute
Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Wikidata item
Print/export
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons

Languages
Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Português
Русский
Svenska
Tiếng Việt
14 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 25 January 2021, at 22:33 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersContact WikipediaMobile
viewDevelopersStatisticsCookie statementWikimedia FoundationPowered by MediaWiki