Bengt Vilhelm Hult (28 August 1917 – 29 October 2008) was a Swedish civil servant. He served as President of the Labour Court of Sweden from 1964 to 1973 and as President of the

Supreme Court of Sweden The Supreme Court of Sweden (, HD) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and wit ...

from 1979 to 1984.

Early life

Hult was born on 28 August 1917 in

Västerås Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...

, Sweden, the son of Reinhold Hult and his wife Hanna (née Johansson). He passed ''

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, ...

'' in Västerås in 1939. He received a

Candidate of Law Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

degree from

Stockholm University College Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

in 1941.

Career

Hult carried out court service in

Västmanland Västmanland ( or ) is a historical Swedish province, or , in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland. Västmanland means "West Man Land" or, less literally, "The Land of the Western Men", where the "we ...

central judicial district (''Västmanlands mellersta domsaga'') from 1941 to 1944. He worked as an extra legal clerk (''fiskal'') in the

Svea Court of Appeal Svea Court of Appeal (), located in Stockholm, is one of six appellate courts in the Swedish legal system, as well as the oldest Swedish court currently in use (the Supreme Court being constituted only in 1789, over 150 years later). It is loca ...

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 ...

in 1945, secretary in the Labour Court (''Arbetsdomstolen'') from 1948 to 1950, assessor in the Svea Court of Appeal in 1952. Hult was a substitute in the Labour Court from 1953 to 1961, member and secretary in the Penal Code Commission (''strafflagberedningen'') from 1953 to 1956. He was also vice chairman of the

Swedish Press Council The Swedish Press Council (, PON) is a body governed by the Swedish print media tasked with determining whether the actions of a newspaper is in line with good journalistic practice. Complaints regarding the practices of print media can be reported ...

from 1961. He became ''

hovrättsråd A ''hovrättsråd'' (Swedish) or ''hovioikeudenneuvos'' (Finnish) is a judge of the Swedish or Finnish Court of Appeal (''hovrätt'' or ''hovioikeus''). Until 1789 hovrätt was the highest judicial body in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdo ...

'' in 1961, worked as acting director (''byråchef'') in the National Board of Health and Welfare from 1952 to 1953, and as director (''byråchef'') for law matters in the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 1957 to 1961. He was state secretary there from 1961 to 1963. Hult became a Justice of the

on 1 October 1963 but already on 30 December 1963, the

King in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of app ...

granted Hult leave at the end of 1963 to instead become President of the Labor Court of Sweden from 1 January 1964. On 21 September 1973, the King in Council appointed Hult, as Justice from 1 November 1973. On 28 June 1979, the Swedish government appointed Hult to be President of the Supreme Court of Sweden from 1 November 1979. He served in this position until 1984.

Personal life

In 1945, Hult married Anna-Greta Öhrström (1919–1982), the daughter of Valdemar Öhrström and Gunborg (née Andersson). In 1984, he married Sylvia Björkdahl (born 1936), the daughter of Axel Björkdahl and Signe (née Nilsson).

Death

Hult died on 29 October 2008 in

, Sweden. He was interred at Solna Cemetery in

Solna Municipality Solna ( or , ), also known as Solna Municipality, is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in central Stockholm County, Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockh ...

near Stockholm.

Awards and decorations

* Commander Grand Cross 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 1973) * Seraphimerorden_ribbon

H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size gold (silver-gilt) medal worn around the neck on the Order of the Seraphim ribbon (1984)

Honours

*Honorary Doctorate of Law,

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

(1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hult, Bengt 1917 births 2008 deaths Presidents of the Supreme Court of Sweden People from Västerås Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star 20th-century Swedish judges Stockholm University alumni