Minister for Finance
What position did Robert Themptander take from Mar 1881 to May 1884?
Robert Themptander Oscar Robert Themptander ( 14 February 1844 – 30 January 1897 ) was a Swedish politician and public official who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1884 to 1888 during the reign of King Oscar II , and Governor of Stockholm County from 1888 to 1896 . He was also Minister for Finance . At the age of 40 years and 92 days , Themptander is the youngest person to become Prime Minister in Swedish history . His death at the age of 52 years and 351 days makes him also the youngest prime minister at his death . Biography . Robert Themptander was born in Stockholm , the son of army lieutenant Nils Themptander and wife Adolphina Laurent . After law studies in Uppsala and a highly successful career in the civil service he became in 1879 a member of the Second Chamber . There from the beginning he was a member of the centre party , a party loyal to then incumbent government . Gradually he began move orientate towards the agrarian party . He married in 1874 with Frida Dahlberg , with whom he had three children . In the government of Arvid Posse in 1880 , he became Minister without Portfolio and , in 1881 Minister of Finance . He stayed on in this office in three years before he became Prime Minister at the age of 40 . Only Louis De Geer had become Prime Minister at a younger age . Through good contacts in different parliamentary positions he was successful in breaking the political gridlock concerning the defense question . This issue was finally achieved in the year of 1885 . He was less successful in his goal to protect the free trade system which Louis De Geer and Minister of Finance Gripenstedt had instituted during their time in office . This political economy had with many good benefits contributed to the modernization of Sweden . As food prices on the world markets sank because of increased imports from all of North America , demand increased for high tariffs to protect Swedish interests . Eventually Themptander was constrained to retire , yet not through defeat in the 1887 election , when his resistance towards the new duty-friendly winds of opinion meant more election debate than before . Riksdag candidates were compelled to answer about which views they had , if they were Free Traders or Protectionists . This was seen by many at the time as uncommon . Lifelong members of the Riksdag had previously been elected on the basis of their high personal reputation and confidence . The Free Traders won in Stockholm and gained twenty-two parliamentary seats . But it appeared that one member had not paid his taxes and therefore the whole list was declared invalid . Lifelong members of the Riksdag who were free trade supporters were replaced with tariff supporters . Therefore , the Second Chamber returned a protectionist majority . Themptander attempted to have King Oscar II announce a new election , but the King denied the request . Then Themptander resigned as Prime Minister . From 1888 to 1896 he was Stockholm County Governor and afterwards director for Trafik AB Grängesberg–Oxelösund . Robert Themptander died on 30 January 1897 in Stockholm . References . This article draws heavily on the in the , which was accessed in the version of November 11 , 2005 .