Torsten Nilsson

Harald Torsten Leonard Nilsson (1 April 1905 – 14 December 1997) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician. He served as Minister of Defence from 1951 to 1957, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1962 to 1971. Nilsson also served as Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Communications (Transport).

Biography
Nilsson was the son of bricklayer Lars Nilsson and his wife Hilda née Persson. He graduated with a realskolexamen, went to occupational school and then a Volkshochschule in Germany. He worked as a bricklayer 1922–1929, was secretary of the Scania district of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (SSU) 1927–1930, then chairman of the same district 1930–1934. He was the national chairman of SSU 1934–1940. Nilsson was the party secretary of the Swedish Social Democratic Party 1940–1945 and the chairman of the Stockholm Labour Commune 1945–1975.

Nilsson was a member of the Parliament of Sweden from 1941 to 1976 (of the Second Chamber to 1970). He was a government minister continuously from 1945 to 1971. He was Minister of Communications (Transport) 1945–1951 in the Hansson IV and Erlander I cabinets. He was then Minister of Defence 1951–1957 in the Erlander II Cabinet and Minister for Social Affairs 1957–1962 in the Erlander II and Erlander III cabinets. His final ministerial post was as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Erlander III and Palme I cabinets.

In 1935 he married Vera Månsson (born 1906).

Nilsson was elected as an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1956. He was awarded the Illis quorum by the Swedish government in 1984.