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Östen Undén

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His Excellency
Östen Undén
Undén in 1937
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office
31 July 1945 – 19 September 1962
Prime MinisterPer Albin Hansson
Tage Erlander
Preceded byChristian Günther
Succeeded byTorsten Nilsson
In office
18 October 1924 – 7 June 1926
Prime MinisterHjalmar Branting
Rickard Sandler
Preceded byErik Marks von Würtemberg
Succeeded byEliel Löfgren
Minister of Justice
In office
10 March 1920 – 30 June 1920
Prime MinisterHjalmar Branting
Preceded byEliel Löfgren
Succeeded byAssar Åkerman
Prime Minister of Sweden
Acting for 5 days
In office
6 October 1946 – 11 October 1946
MonarchGustaf V
Preceded byPer Albin Hansson
Succeeded byTage Erlander
Personal details
BornBo Östen Undén
(1886-08-25)25 August 1886
Karlstad, Sweden
Died14 January 1974(1974-01-14) (aged 87)
Bromma, Sweden
Resting placeUppsala Old Cemetery
PartySocial Democrats
Spouse
Agnes Jacobsson
​
​
(m. 1912; died 1935)​
RelationsTorsten Undén (brother)
Olof Kaijser (cousin)
EducationUppsala University
Lund University

Bo Östen Undén (25 August 1886 – 14 January 1974) was a Swedish statesman, academic, and diplomat who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1945 to 1962. He briefly acted as Prime Minister of Sweden following the death of Per Albin Hansson in October 1946. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SAP), Undén represented Värmland in the Riksdag from 1934 to 1965.[1][2]

Early life

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Undén was born on 25 August 1886 in Karlstad, Sweden, the son of pharmacist Viktor Undén [sv] (1844–1923) and Beate Kaijser.[3] He was the brother of Envoy Torsten Undén (1877–1962) and community leader Greta Gullström [sv] (1879–1980), and through her, brother-in-law of pharmacist and politician Stellan Gullström [sv] (1871–1951). He was a cousin of diplomat Olof Kaijser (1914–2002).

He completed his upper-secondary examination in 1904, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lund University in 1905, a Candidate of Laws degree in 1910, and a Licentiate of Laws and Doctor of Laws in 1912.[3]

Career

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Academic career

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In 1912, Undén became an associate professor (docent) of civil law at Lund University. He was appointed professor of civil law and private international law at Uppsala University in 1917, serving in that position until 1937. From 1929 to 1932, he served as rector magnificus of Uppsala University, and from 1937 to 1951, he was university chancellor.[3]

Public service career

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Undén served as the Swedish Foreign Ministry's expert on international law, minister for foreign affairs (1924–1926, 1945–1962),[4] minister without portfolio (1917–1920, 1932–1936), and chaired the Riksdag's committee on foreign relations during World War II.[5]

At the same time, Undén may be acknowledged as a chief representative for Sweden's covert Cold War adaptation to the United States, as in his view, the Swedish governmental agencies, including the Defence Forces, were free to conclude any agreements with foreign powers and agencies that did not literally contradict international treaties Sweden was a party of, as long as he and his ministry were not formally involved. As an effect, the Swedish government could, before the founding of NATO, agree to build air bases in eastern Scandinavia suitable for bombing missions against Leningrad. A similar adaptation included integration in the U.S. embargo policy from the Korean War.[6]

International politics

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In the years 1930 to 1933, as a League of Nations arbiter, Undén ruled in favour of Bulgaria in a dispute with Greece regarding the ownership of 19 forests in the Dospat region of southwestern Bulgaria. In 1936, the summit of Dikchan (1,966 m (6,450 ft)) in the surrounding Rhodope Mountains was named "Unden Peak" or "Professor Unden Peak" after the Undén for his efforts. A bronze memorial plate featuring the Bulgarian and Swedish coats of arms as well as an inscription regarding the name's origin were placed on top of the peak.[7]

In 1961, his "Undén Proposal" argued that states without nuclear weapons should declare that they refused to produce such weapons and refuse to receive and store such weapons. Undén's proposal was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly as a UN resolution with 58 votes in favour (Scandinavia, Warsaw pact, third world countries), 10 votes against (NATO members) and 23 votes of abstention (Latin America, former French colonies in Africa).[8]

Legacy

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Undén was widely respected in politics, particularly within the Social Democratic Party, but was never uncontroversial. Ideologically, he belonged with the left-wing faction of the party, and has in retrospect been criticized for his optimistic view of the Soviet Union, which remained for the entirety of his time as Foreign Minister.[9]

As of 2025, Undén's time as foreign minister, a total of 18 years, 9 months, and 15 days spread out in two non-consecutive terms across an almost 40-year period set between 1924 and 1962, remains the longest in Swedish history.[10][11]

Personal life

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In 1912, Undén married Agnes Jacobsson (1887–1935), the daughter of Court of Appeal registrar Nils Jacobsson and Anna Persson. They had two children: Karin "Kajsa" (1914–2016) and Ingar (1916–1997).[3] Through his wife, he was the brother-in-law of Governor Malte Jacobsson [sv; no] (1885–1966). Their daughter Karin was married to Justice of the Supreme Court Arne Brunnberg [sv] (1909–2001).[12]

Awards and honours

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Awards

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Honorary degrees

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Honours

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References

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  1. ↑ "Östen Undén (6 Oct 1946 – 11 Oct 1946)" (in Swedish). World Statesmen. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Per Albin Hansson". NE Nationalencyklopedin. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 1, Stor–Stockholm (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 1331. SELIBR 53509.
  4. ↑ Johnson, E. Luther (1966). Freedom from alliances: Contemporary Swedish views towards international relations (PhD thesis). The American University. p. 17.
  5. ↑ "Östen Undén". NE Nationalencyklopedin AB. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "Östen Undén (1886-1974)". nationalmuseum. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "Шведският професор, който спаси част от Родопите, а български връх носи името му". Dnes.dir.bg (in Bulgarian). 28 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Brodin, Katarina. "The Undén Proposal". Cooperation and Conflict. Volume 1, Number 4 pp. 18-29. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  9. ↑ "Ernst Wigforss". NE Nationalencyklopedin AB. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "Östen Undén, Tage Erlander och det kalla kriget". Tankesmedjan Tiden (in Swedish). Tiden magasin. Retrieved 28 December 2025. For nearly 20 years, Östen Undén was foreign minister, longer than anyone in Sweden.
  11. ↑ Hirdman, Sven. "Östen Undén – Sveriges längsta utrikesminister". Alliansfriheten (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2025. utrikesminister i 19 år … Sveriges längsta utrikesminister
  12. ↑ Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1992). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 181. ISBN 91-1-914072-X. SELIBR 8261513.
  13. ↑ Ström, Per, ed. (2026). Promotionsfesten i Uppsala den 30 januari 2026 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. p. 95. ISBN 9789151326924. SELIBR 2nv4cpd40qv7jgjc.

Further reading

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  • Bergquist, Mats (2023). Östen Undén, Tage Erlander och det kalla kriget [Östen Undén, Tage Erlander, and the Cold War] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Santérus förlag. ISBN 9789173591942. SELIBR 9r45f13r7gjtb1cv.
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