Rolf Wirtén

Rolf Gustav Stefan Wirtén (4 May 1931 – 19 February 2023) was a Swedish politician who held various ministerial posts, including the minister of economics and minister for the budget in the 1970s and 1980s.

Rolf Wirtén
Wirtén in 2013
Personal details
Born	Rolf Gustav Stefan Wirtén (1931-05-04)4 May 1931
Died	19 February 2023(2023-02-19) (aged 91)
Political party	Liberals

Biography

Wirtén was born on 4 May 1931.^[1] He started his career as a teacher in Jönköping in the 1950s.^[1] He was a member of the Liberals^[2] and was elected to the first chamber of the Parliament in 1966, serving there until 1970.^[1] He was a member of Parliament from 1971 to 1985.^[1]

On 7 March 1978 Wirtén was named the minister for gender equality and the minister of immigration.^[1][3] His tenure ended on 18 October 1978.^[3] He was the minister for employment between 1978 and 1980 in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Thorbjörn Fälldin.^[1][4] In 1980 Wirtén was appointed minister for the budget and next year he was made the minister of economics in the second cabinet led by Thorbjörn Fälldin.^[5] He held both posts until 1982.^[1] During his term Sweden experienced devaluation in 1981.^[6] He reported that while serving as minister the Swedish economic policy had been designed on the Keynesian principles.^[6]

Wirtén was the governor of Östergötland between 1987 and 1996.^[7] In 1997 he was the head of a commission which investigated the allegations about the diamonds of Jewish people stolen by the Nazis and smuggled into Sweden.^[8]

Wirtén died on 19 February 2023, at the age of 91.^[9][10][11]

He established a foundation named the Wirtén Cultural Foundation.^[12] It awards a cultural prize, Wirtén kulturpris, which has been given since 2000 on his birthday, 4 May.^[13] The ceremony has taken place at the Linköping Castle.^[13]

References

1. "Förre ministern är död". Sändaren (in Swedish). 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
2. Per T. Ohlsson (2021). Svensk politik (in Swedish). Lund: Historiska Media. p. 474. ISBN 978-91-7789-849-8.
3. Carl Dahlström (December 2007). "Rhetorical Objectives and Program Efficiency in Swedish Policy about Immigrants". Journal of Public Policy. 27 (3): 337. doi:10.1017/S0143814X07000736. JSTOR 40072029.
4. J. Paxton, ed. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1978-79. London: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 1127. ISBN 978-0-230-27107-4.
5. J. Paxton, ed. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1982-83. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 1138. ISBN 978-0-230-27111-1.
6. Johannes Lindvall (April 2006). "The Politics of Purpose: Swedish Economic Policy after the Golden Age". Comparative Politics. 38 (3): 264. doi:10.2307/20433997. JSTOR 20433997.
7. Anna Sjögren (20 February 2023). "Tidigare ministern Rolf Wirtén är död". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
8. "Nazis Reportedly Smuggled in Diamonds". Chicago Tribune. Stockholm. 22 October 1997.
9. "Tidigare landshövdingen Rolf Wirtén har avlidit". lansstyrelsen.se (in Swedish). 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
10. "Tidigare minister Rolf Wirtén är död" (in Swedish). Jnytt. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
11. "Tidigare ministern Rolf Wirtén har avlidit". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 February 2023.
12. Karin Hassler (3 May 2000). "Hans Lundgren fick kulturpris" (PDF). old.liu.se (in Swedish). Linköping. Norrköpings Tidningar. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
13. Åsa Christoffersson (25 April 2015). "LiU-professor får kulturpris". Corren (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 February 2023.

External links

•   Media related to Rolf Wirtén at Wikimedia Commons