born Jan. 30, 1927, Stockholm, Swed.
died Feb. 28, 1986, Stockholm
Swedish prime minister (1969–76, 1982–86).
After studying in Sweden and the U.S., he was elected to the Swedish parliament (1958) and became a leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party. He served in ministerial posts from 1963 and became prime minister in 1969. A strong pacifist, he attacked U.S. policy in the Vietnam War and later acted as a UN special envoy to mediate in the Iran-Iraq War. After his reelection in 1982, he tried to reinstate socialist economic policies in Sweden. He was shot to death by an assassin in 1986; his murder remains unsolved.