Sten Gustaf Wickbom (14 March 1931 – 26 December 2015) was a Swedish civil servant and member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. Wickbom served as the

minister for 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 ...

from 1983 to 1987. He then became the Governor of

Kronoberg County Kronoberg County (; sv, Kronobergs län) is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. Kronoberg is one of three counties in the province of Småland. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar, and Blekinge. Its capital is ...

from 1988 to 1995.

Early life

Wickbom was born on 14 March 1931 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of colonel Börje Wickbom and his wife Elsa (née Quiding). He obtained 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

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance durin ...

in 1954.

Career

Early career

Wickbom did his clerkship from 1955 and 1957 and worked as an extra legal clerk (''fiskal'') in

Svea Court of Appeal Svea Court of Appeal ( sv, Svea hovrätt), located in Stockholm, is one of six appellate courts in the Swedish legal system. It is located in the Wrangel Palace, on Riddarholmen islet in Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm. History The Svea ...

in 1958. He then served as court secretary (''tingssekreterare'') from 1960 to 1962 and assessor in Svea Court of Appeal in 1964. Wickbom 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 1969 and worked as an expert 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 ...

in 1964, served as deputy director (''kansliråd'') in the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities includes regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. T ...

in 1967 and as director-general for legal affairs (''rättschef'') at the

Ministry for Civil Service Affairs The Ministry for Civil Service Affairs ( sv, Civildepartementet) was a ministry in Sweden, established through the 1840 ministerial reform. The ministry and its most important areas of responsibility were agriculture, ''bergsrörelse'', trade, shi ...

from 1969 to 1973 and in the Ministry of Housing in 1974. Wickbom served as Director General of the National Swedish Land Survey Administration from 1974 to 1983. Wickbom also served as chairman, expert, and secretary in a number of government investigations. He was board member of Liber from 1974 to 1977, of the Swedish Central Board for Real Property Data (''Centralnämnden för fastighetsdata'') from 1981 to 1983 and of the

Geological Survey of Sweden Geological Survey of Sweden ( sv, Sveriges geologiska undersökning, SGU) is a Swedish government agency that was founded in 1858 dealing with questions about the nature of the geological and mineral management in Sweden. The institution has the ...

from 1982 to 1983.

Minister for Justice and the Berling affair

Wickbom, who served minister for justice from 1983 to 1987, oversaw the investigation into the

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

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 ...

, which occurred on 28 February 1986, during his tenure. One year later, Wickbom left the government shortly after the escape of

Stig Bergling Stig Svante Eugén Bergling, later Stig Svante ''Eugén'' Sandberg and ''Stig'' Svante Eugén Sydholt, (1 March 1937 – 24 January 2015) was a Swedish Security Service officer who spied for the Soviet Union. The Stig Bergling-affair, one of Sw ...

, a former

Swedish Security Service The Swedish Security Service ( sv, Säkerhetspolisen , abbreviated SÄPO ; until 1989 ''Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning'', abbreviated RPS/Säk) is a Swedish government agency organised under the Ministry of Justice. It operates as a s ...

convicted of

spying Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. It was rumored that Wickbom was forced to resign following Bergling's escape, which Wickbom denied.

Later work

Wickbom served as Governor of Kronoberg County from 1988 to 1995 and was director general and chairman of the Administrative Policy Commission (''Förvaltningspolitiska kommissionen'') from 1995 to 1997. Wickbom was chairman of ''Dalälvsdelegationen'' from 1987 to 1994, and of Concerts Sweden (''Svenska Rikskonserter'') from 1989 to 1996.

Personal life

In 1991, Wickbom married Gunnel Persson (born 1939), the daughter of Axel and Helga Persson. Wickbom was a native of

Växjö Växjö ( ) is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 70,489 inhabitants (2019) out of a municipal population of 95,995 (2021). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County ...

. He moved back to Växjö during the 1990s after completing his tenure as Governor of Kronoberg County.

Death

Sten Wickbom died in Växjö on 26 December 2015, at the age of 84. He was survived by his wife, Gunnel Wickbom.

Honours

*Members of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for ...

(1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickbom, Sten 1931 births 2015 deaths Swedish Ministers for Justice Governors of Kronoberg County Swedish Social Democratic Party politicians People from Växjö 20th-century Swedish politicians Uppsala University alumni Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences