
Carl Johan Gunnar Persson (14 December 1919 – 6 November 2014) was a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used b ...
jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Un ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. Persson served as the
National Police Commissioner of the
Swedish Police Authority
The Swedish Police Authority ( sv, Polismyndigheten) is the national police force (''Polisen'') of the Kingdom of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under lo ...
from 1964 to 1978.
His highest profile investigations during his tenure as National Police Commissioner included the hijacking of
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130 was an aircraft hijacking which took place in Sweden and subsequently in Spain on 15 and 16 September 1972. While en route from Torslanda Airport in Gothenburg to Stockholm Arlanda Airport, three armed ...
to
Bulltofta Airport
Bulltofta is a neighbourhood of Malmö, Sweden. It contains the defunct Malmö Bulltofta Airport
Malmö Bulltofta Airport ( sv, Malmö-Bulltofta flygplats; ) was the main airport for the city of Malmö, Scania, Sweden, from 1923 to 1972. Lo ...
in 1972, the
Norrmalmstorg robbery
The Norrmalmstorg robbery was a bank robbery and hostage crisis best known as the origin of the term '' Stockholm syndrome''. It occurred at the Norrmalmstorg Square in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1973 and was the first criminal event in Swed ...
in 1973, and the
West German Embassy siege
The West German Embassy siege in Stockholm, Sweden, was a hostage standoff initiated by the Red Army Faction (RAF) on 24 April 1975. Collectively, the attackers referred to themselves as Kommando Holger Meins, after Holger Meins, an RAF member ...
by the
Red Army Faction
The Red Army Faction (RAF, ; , ),See the section " Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang (, , active 1970–1998), was a West German far-left Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group founded in 1970.
The ...
in 1975.
Persson also served as the president of the
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cr ...
from 1976 to 1980 and as
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Halland County
Halland County ( sv, Hallands län, link=no, ) is a county ('' län'') on the western coast of Sweden. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of Halland. The capital is Halmstad.
It borders the counties of Västra G� ...
from 1978 to 1979 and the
Governor of the former county of
Gothenburg and Bohus
Gothenburg and Bohus County ( sv, Göteborgs och Bohus län) was a county of Sweden until 1997, when it was merged with Skaraborg County and Älvsborg County to form Västra Götaland County.
The county was named after the city of Gothenburg a ...
from 1979 to 1980.
Career
Persson was born in Kvidinge,
Kristianstad County
Kristianstad County ( sv, Kristianstads län) was a county of Sweden from 1719 to 31 December 1996 when it was merged with Malmöhus County to form Skåne County.
The seat of residence for the Governor was in Kristianstad
Kristianstad (, ; o ...
, Sweden, the son of captain Carl Johan Persson and his wife Anni (née Vallin). 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
Helsingborg
Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edit ...
in 1938 and received a
Candidate of Law
Candidate of Law (Latin: ''candidatus/candidata juris/iuris'') is both a graduate law degree awarded to law students in the Nordic region as well as an academic status designation for advanced Law School students in German-speaking countries.
N ...
degree from
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion [Scania and Blekinge Court of Appeal
The Scania and Blekinge Court of Appeal ( sv, Hovrätten över Skåne och Blekinge) is one of the six appellate courts in the Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* ...]
in 1945. Persson served as a ''
tingsrätt'' secretary in the Södra Åsbo and Bjäre Judicial District from 1948 to 1949 (acting in 1947) and as an
assessor
An assessor may be:
* ''Assessor'' (fish), a genus of fishes
* Assessor (law), the assistant to a judge or magistrate
* Assessor (Oxford), a senior officer of the University of Oxford
* Assessor (property), an expert who calculates the value of pr ...
in 1951. He became ''
hovrättsråd
A ''hovrättsråd'' (Swedish) or ''hovioikeudenneuvos'' (Finnish) is a judge of the Swedish or Finnish Court of Appeal (''hovrätt
The courts of appeal in Sweden and in Finland'','' also known as Hovrätt ( fi, 'Hovioikeus', Swedish: Hovrätt ...
'' in 1961.
Persson was notary and secretary in Second Committee on Civil Law (''Andra lagutskottet'') of the
Riksdag from 1949 to 1952, and an expert in the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
in 1954, and in the
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministr ...
from 1954 to 1955. Persson was head of the ''lagbyrå'' in the Ministry of the Interior in 1955 and became head of the Legal Department in 1957.
He was
State Secretary from 1958 to 1964 and then served as
National Police Commissioner and head of the
Swedish National Police Board
The Swedish National Police Board ( sv, Rikspolisstyrelsen, RPS) was the central administrative authority for the police in Sweden from 1 January 1965 to 1 January 2015, when the Swedish Police Authority was established. The Swedish police used t ...
from 1964 to 1978. Persson also served as president of the
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cr ...
from 1976 to 1980 and then as
Governor of Halland County
This is a list of governors for Halland County of Sweden, from 1658 to present.
# Bengt Christoffersson Lilliehöök (1658–1665)
# Johan Hård af Segerstad (1665–1676)
# Göran Sperling (1676–1678)
# Sven Ranck (1678–1684)
# Gustaf Tun ...
in 1978, as well as
Governor of Gothenburg and Bohus County from 1979 to 1980.
He was a member of the International Health Care Affairs Committee from 1958, a delegate of the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
in 1959 and 1961,
and chair of the Nordic Commission on the common labor market for doctors and dentists from 1958 to 1962.
Persson was chairman of the Mental Health Care Council (''Mentalsjukvårdsberedningen'') 1959-1962, the organization of body and mental health care in
Östergötland County
Östergötland County ( sv, Östergötlands län) is a county or '' län'' in southeastern Sweden. It has land borders with the counties of Kalmar to the southeast, Jönköping to the southwest, Örebro to the northwest, and Södermanland to the ...
from 1962 to 1964, the
City of Gothenburg
Gothenburg Municipality (''Göteborgs kommun'' or ''Göteborgs stad'') is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Gothenburg.
When the first Swedish local government acts were implement ...
merging with the
Gothenburg and Bohus County
Gothenburg and Bohus County ( sv, Göteborgs och Bohus län) was a county of Sweden until 1997, when it was merged with Skaraborg County and Älvsborg County to form Västra Götaland County.
The county was named after the city of Gothenburg ...
's
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irel ...
from 1962 to 1970, the Organizing Committee of the Bailiffs System (''Exekutionsväsendets organisationsnämnd'') from 1964 to 1969 and the investigation of the headship of the
Karolinska Hospital
The Karolinska University Hospital ( sv, Karolinska universitetssjukhuset) is a teaching hospital affiliated with Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, with two major sites in the municipalities of Solna and Huddinge. The hospital network ...
in 1978.
Furthermore, Persson was chairman of the natural resource delegation of the Coordinating Board of the Swedish Research Councils (''Forskningsrådsnämndens naturresursdelegation''), Emergency Services Commission (''Räddningstjänstkommissionen''), the Theft Investigation, National Bacteriological Laboratory (''Statens bakteriologiska laboratorium'') Investigation, the Investigation of Nuclear Power Preparedness from 1987 to 1989, the Delegation for Patient Transport by Helicopter from 1989 to 1991, chairman of the Committee for Teaching of the Hospital's Expansion from 1981 to 1990 and the Disaster Commission (''Katastrofkommissionen'') from 1982 to 1990.
Persson was also chairman of the board of Kabi-Vitrum, Kabi Gen, Cea, and ABAB from 1970 to 1985. He was vice chairman of Gota Finans from 1985 to 1989, chairman of the Swedish Carnegie Institute from 1982 and consultant in the Swedish-Soviet working group for investigations of
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. 31 J ...
from 1991.
He published his
memoirs
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobio ...
, ''Utan omsvep'' ("Head-on") in 1990.
[
]
Personal life
In 1943, he married Kerstin "Titti" Holmdahl (1919–2015), the daughter of chief physician Carl Holmdahl and Ida (née Björck). He had four children,[ including Ingrid (born 1944).]
Persson died on 6 November 2014, at the age of 94. He is buried at Djursholm
Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djurshol ...
's Cemetery.
Bibliography
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Persson, Carl
1919 births
2014 deaths
Swedish jurists
Chiefs of police
Governors of Halland County
Governors of Gothenburg and Bohus County
Swedish memoirists
Lund University alumni