Bengt Norling (1925–2002) was a Swedish social democrat politician who held several government posts. He was the minister of communications (Transport) from 1969 and 1976 and the governor of

Värmland Värmland () is a ''Provinces of Sweden, landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Name Several Latinized version ...

from 1977 to 1990.

Biography

Norling was born in Malmö in 1925 and raised in

Norrbotten Norrbotten (), sometimes called North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland. Administration The traditional provinces of Swede ...

. At 15 he began to work as a metal worker and then became a railway official in

Vansbro Vansbro () is a locality in Dalarna and the seat of Vansbro Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden. It had 2,026 inhabitants in 2010, out of a total municipal population of 7,000. The town is situated by the end of the Vanån, or Van River, the ma ...

. During this period he joined the

Swedish Social Democratic Party The Swedish Social Democratic Party, formally the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party ( , S or SAP), usually referred to as The Social Democrats ( ), is a social democratic political party in Sweden. The party is member of the Progressiv ...

in Vansbro. In 1956 he was named an

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

in the Railway Workers' Associations. Norling was made the secretary of the

Swedish Trade Union Confederation The Swedish Trade Union Confederation ( ; literally "The National Organisation in Sweden"), commonly referred to as LO (), is a national trade union centre, an umbrella organisation for fourteen Swedish trade unions that organise mainly "blue-c ...

. He was appointed the minister of communications (Transport) to the first cabinet of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Olof Palme Sven Olof Joachim Palme (; ; 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986. Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until as ...

on 14 October 1969. Norling remained in the post until 1976. He served as the governor of Värmland between 1977 and 1990. Following his retirement Norling settled in

Karlstad Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 67,122 inhabitants in 2020 with 97,233 inhabitan ...

with his wife, Elizabeth. They had a son. He died at age 77 on 2 June 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norling, Bengt 20th-century Swedish politicians 1925 births 2002 deaths Politicians from Malmö Ministers for communications of Sweden Swedish Social Democratic Party politicians Governors of Värmland County Swedish trade unionists