# Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs

The Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs (Swedish: Ecklesiastikminister) was a member of the government of Sweden. The minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs was the head of the Ministry of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs from 1840 to 1967 which handled matters concerning the church, education, science, culture, medical and general health care as well as poorhouses. The minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs became the minister for education on 1 January 1968.

## History

The Ministry of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs was established in 1840 and Albrecht Elof Ihre became the first minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs. The head of the ministry bore the official title "cabinet minister and the head of the royal ministry of education and ecclesiastical affairs", but in everyday speech was usually called the minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs. In the early 1900s, other officials at the ministry were: one director general for administrative affairs (expeditionschef), three deputy directors (kansliråd) and director (byråchef), six administrative officers (kanslisekreterare), a registrar and a number of amanuenses (extra ordinary officials).
The Ministry of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs became the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs on 1 January 1968 and thus the position of minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs became the minister for education. Olof Palme became the last minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs on 31 December 1967 and the first minister of education on 1 January 1968.

## List of officeholders
### Color key

Independent Historical parties:  Lantmanna  Moderate  National Party  Liberals  Liberals  Liberals  Liberals Present parties:  Social Democrats  Moderate  Centre  Left  Liberals  Christian Democrats  Green  Sweden Democrats
1840–1967 :
| Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Born-Died) | Term | Term | Term | Political Party | Coalition | Cabinet |
| Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Born-Died) | Took office | Left office | Duration | Political Party | Coalition | Cabinet |
| | | Albrecht Elof Ihre (1797–1877) | 16 May 1840 | 29 December 1842 | 2 years, 227 days | Independent | – | Charles XIV John |
| | | Samuel Grubbe (1786–1853) Acting | 10 September 1840 | 29 December 1842 | 2 years, 110 days | Independent | – | Charles XIV John |
| | | Christopher Isac Heurlin (1786–1860) | 29 December 1842 | 18 May 1844 | 1 year, 141 days | Independent | – | Charles XIV John |
| | | Fredrik Otto Silfverstolpe (1795–1882) | 18 May 1844 | 10 April 1848 | 3 years, 328 days | Independent | – | Oscar I |
| | | Paulus Genberg (1811–1875) | 10 April 1848 | 2 April 1852 | 3 years, 358 days | Independent | – | Oscar I |
| | | Henrik Reuterdahl (1795–1870) | 3 April 1852 | 9 March 1855 | 2 years, 340 days | Independent | – | Oscar I |
| | | Lars Anton Anjou (1803–1884) | 9 March 1855 | 29 January 1859 | 3 years, 326 days | Independent | – | Oscar I |
| | | Henning Hamilton (1814–1886) | 29 January 1859 | 2 November 1860 | 1 year, 278 days | Independent | – | Oscar I |
| | | Carl Johan Thyselius (1811–1891) | 2 November 1860 | 1 August 1863 | 2 years, 272 days | Independent | – | Oscar I |
| | | Fredrik Ferdinand Carlson (1811–1887) | 1 August 1863 | 3 June 1870 | 6 years, 306 days | Independent | – | Oscar I |
| | | Gunnar Wennerberg (1817–1901) | 3 June 1870 | 11 May 1875 | 4 years, 342 days | Independent | – – | Charles XV Oscar II |
| | | Fredrik Ferdinand Carlson (1811–1887) | 11 May 1875 | 1 November 1878 | 3 years, 174 days | Independent | – | De Geer II De Geer III |
| | | Carl Gustaf Malmström (1822–1912) | 1 November 1878 | 27 August 1880 | 1 year, 300 days | Independent | – | Posse |
| | | Carl Hammarskjöld (1838–1898) | 27 August 1880 | 6 February 1888 | 7 years, 163 days | Independent | – | Thyselius Themptander |
| | | Gunnar Wennerberg (1817–1901) | 6 February 1888 | 6 November 1891 | 3 years, 273 days | Moderate | – – Lantmanna–M | G. Bildt Åkerhielm Boström I |
| | | Gustaf Gilljam (1832–1908) | 6 November 1891 | 22 June 1898 | 6 years, 228 days | Independent | Lantmanna–M | Boström I |
| | | Nils Claëson (1848–1910) | 22 June 1898 | 5 July 1902 | 4 years, 13 days | Independent | M–Lantmanna | von Otter |
| | | Carl von Friesen (1846–1905) | 5 July 1902 | 10 June 1905 | 2 years, 340 days | Independent | M–Lantmanna | Boström II Ramstedt |
| | | Karl Husberg (1854–1928) | 19 June 1905 | 2 August 1905 | 44 days | Independent | M–Lantmanna | Ramstedt |
| | | Hjalmar Hammarskjöld (1862–1953) | 2 August 1905 | 7 November 1905 | 97 days | Independent | M–Lantmanna–L | Lundeberg |
| | | Fridtjuv Berg (1851–1916) | 7 November 1905 | 29 May 1906 | 203 days | Liberals | – | Staaf I |
| | | Hugo Hammarskjöld (1845–1937) | 29 May 1906 | 11 June 1909 | 3 years, 13 days | National Progress Party | M–Lantmanna–Första kammarens moderata parti–National Progress Party | Lindman I |
| | | Elof Lindström (1863–1924) | 11 June 1909 | 7 October 1911 | 2 years, 118 days | Independent | M–Lantmanna–Första kammarens moderata parti–National Progress Party | Lindman I |
| | | Fridtjuv Berg (1851–1916) | 7 October 1911 | 17 February 1914 | 2 years, 133 days | Liberals | – | Staaf II |
| | | Karl Gustaf Westman (1876–1944) | 17 February 1914 | 30 March 1917 | 3 years, 41 days | National Party | – | Hammarskjöld |
| | | Alexis Hammarström (1858–1936) | 30 March 1917 | 19 October 1917 | 203 days | Independent | Electoral League–National Party | Swartz |
| | | Värner Rydén (1878–1930) | 19 October 1917 | 28 November 1919 | 2 years, 40 days | Social Democrats | S/SAP–L | Edén |
| | | Olof Olsson (1872–1939) | 28 November 1919 | 27 October 1920 | 334 days | Social Democrats | – | Branting I |
| | | Bengt J:son Bergqvist (1860–1936) | 27 October 1920 | 13 October 1921 | 351 days | Independent | – | De Geer von Sydow |
| | | Olof Olsson (1872–1939) | 13 October 1921 | 19 April 1923 | 1 year, 188 days | Social Democrats | – | Branting II |
| | | Samuel Clason (1867–1925) | 19 April 1923 | 18 October 1924 | 1 year, 182 days | Electoral League | – | Trygger |
| | | Olof Olsson (1872–1939) | 18 October 1924 | 7 June 1926 | 1 year, 232 days | Social Democrats | – | Branting II |
| | | John Almkvist (1875–1946) | 7 June 1926 | 2 October 1928 | 2 years, 117 days | Liberals | L–L | Ekman I |
| | | Claes Lindskog (1870–1954) | 2 October 1928 | 7 June 1930 | 1 year, 248 days | Electoral League | – | Lindman II |
| | | Samuel Stadener (1872–1937) | 7 June 1930 | 24 September 1932 | 2 years, 109 days | Liberals | – | Ekman II |
| | | Arthur Engberg (1888–1944) | 24 September 1932 | 19 June 1936 | 3 years, 269 days | Social Democrats | – | Hansson I |
| | | Tor Andræ (1885–1947) | 19 June 1936 | 28 September 1936 | 101 days | Independent | – | Pehrsson-Bramstorp |
| | | Arthur Engberg (1888–1944) | 28 September 1936 | 13 December 1939 | 3 years, 76 days | Social Democrats | S/SAP–C | Hansson II |
| | | Gösta Bagge (1882–1951) | 13 December 1939 | 15 December 1944 | 5 years, 2 days | Moderate | S/SAP–C–M | Hansson III |
| | | Georg Andrén (1890–1969) | 15 December 1944 | 31 July 1945 | 228 days | Moderate | S/SAP–C–M | Hansson III |
| | | Tage Erlander (1901–1985) | 31 July 1945 | 11 October 1946 | 1 year, 72 days | Social Democrats | – | Hansson IV |
| | | Josef Weijne (1893–1951) | 11 October 1946 | 8 March 1951 | 4 years, 148 days | Social Democrats | – | Erlander I |
| | | Hildur Nygren (1896–1962) | 17 March 1951 | 1 October 1951 | 198 days | Social Democrats | – | Erlander I |
| | | Ivar Persson (1901–1979) | 1 October 1951 | 30 October 1957 | 6 years, 29 days | Centre | S/SAP–C | Erlander II |
| | | Ragnar Edenman (1914–1998) | 31 October 1957 | 29 September 1967 | 9 years, 333 days | Social Democrats | – | Erlander III |
| | | Olof Palme (1927–1968) | 29 September 1967 | 31 December 1967 | 93 days | Social Democrats | – | Erlander III |