{{Short description|Swedish politician (1912–2000)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Aspling Sven SPA.jpg | image_size = | office = Minister of Health and Social Affairs | prime_minister = {{ubl|Tage Erlander | Olof Palme}} | predecessor = Torsten Nilsson | successor = Rune Gustavsson | term_start = 1962 | term_end = 1976 | birth_date = {{birth date|1912|08|28}} | birth_place = Filipstad, Sweden | death_date = {{death date and age|2000|02|06|1912|08|28}} | death_place = Sundbyberg, Sweden | resting_place = | party = Social Democratic Party | alma_mater = | spouse = | awards = {{awards|Illis quorum|1987}} | name = Sven Aspling }} '''Sven Gustav Aspling''' (28 August 1912 – 6 February 2000) was a Swedish social democrat politician who served as the general secretary of the Social Democratic Party and minister of health and social affairs. He was also a long-term member of the Swedish Parliament for the party.
==Biography== [[File:Andersson, Nilsson, Aspling & Erlander 1960.jpg|thumb|Left to right: Sven Andersson, Torsten Nilsson, Tage Erlander and Sven Aspling in 1960]] Aspling was born in Filipstad, Värmland, in 1912 to the train driver Gustaf Persson and his wife Alida Aspling.<ref name=afton>{{cite news|title=Förre socialministern Sven Aspling död |location=Karlstadt|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/0002/09/aspling.html|access-date=9 October 2021|work=Aftonbladet|date=9 February 2000|language=sv}}</ref> He worked as a sawmill worker.<ref name=afton/> During the period 1937–1942, he was the local editor of ''Värmlands Folkblad'' in Filipstad.<ref name=afton/>
In 1942 Aspling came to Falun as the ombudsman of the Social Democratic Party.<ref name=afton/> In this capacity he played a significant role in the transfer of Nordic refugees during World War II.<ref name=eme/> He served as the organizational secretary in the party board between 1946 and 1948.<ref name=afton/> He was the secretary of the party from 1948 to 1962.<ref name=afton/> During his term as the party secretary he launched a magazine in 1953, ''Aktuellt i Politiken'', which is still in circulation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Om Aktuellt i Politiken|url=https://aip.nu/om-tidningen/|access-date=9 October 2021|work=Aktuellt i Politiken|language=sv}}</ref> When he was in office he was also appointed a board member to the advertising group, namely Förenade ARE-Bolagen, which was partly owned by the party.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Erik Lakooma|title=Advertising for the People: The History of the Social Democratic Party of Sweden's Own Advertising Company—Folkreklam and Förenade ARE-Bolagen, 1947–1997|volume=21|journal=Enterprise & Society|date=June 2020|issue=2|page=539|doi=10.1017/eso.2019.39 |s2cid=213920890|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Aspling was a member of the Swedish Parliament for almost three decades, 1956–1985.<ref name=afton/> In 1962 he succeeded Torsten Nilsson as the minister of social affairs, a position he held until 1976.<ref name=afton/><ref name=ragna/> Aspling served in the post in the cabinets led by both Tage Erlander and Olof Palme. One of the significant bills during Aspling's tenure was the retirement bill that became effective in July 1976. It changed the retirement age from 67 to 65.<ref>{{cite news|title=Swedes debate Bill for retirement at 65 |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS84245211/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=6ccec436|access-date=11 August 2023|work=The Times|date=27 June 1974|issue=59124|location=Stockholm}}</ref>
He was awarded the Illis quorum in 1987.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 2006|title=Regeringens belöningsmedaljer och regeringens utmärkelse: Professors namn|archive-date=2 November 2021|access-date=18 May 2022|language=sv|website=Regeringskansliet |url=https://www.regeringen.se/contentassets/61bab671f59a46af81cb11ee99e0d0eb/regeringens-beloningsmedaljer-och-regeringens-utmarkelse-professors-namn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102152834/https://www.regeringen.se/contentassets/61bab671f59a46af81cb11ee99e0d0eb/regeringens-beloningsmedaljer-och-regeringens-utmarkelse-professors-namn}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== As of 2011 one of his children, Björn, was a public accountant in Falun.<ref name=ragna>{{cite news|author=Ragna Fahlander|title=Olof var en fin familjefar|url=https://www.dt.se/artikel/olof-var-en-fin-familjefar|work=dt.se|date=27 April 2011|language=sv}}</ref> Another, Anders, was the dean of the Swedish Institute of Management in 2010.<ref name=eme>{{cite web|author=Alistair Craven|title=Globally responsible leadership: an interview with Anders Aspling|url=https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/archived/learning/management_thinking/interviews/aspling.htm|publisher=Emerald Group Publishing|access-date=9 October 2021|date=February 2010}}</ref>
Sven Aspling was one of the last persons who called and talked to Prime Minister Olof Palme on the evening of 28 February 1986 shortly before he was assassinated in Stockholm.<ref name=ragna/><ref>{{cite book|author=Jan Bondeson|title=Blood on the Snow. The Killing of Olof Palme|year=2005|publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Ithaca, NY; London|author-link=Jan Bondeson|isbn=9780801470127|page=6|url=https://doi.org/10.7591/9780801470127|doi=10.7591/9780801470127}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Ralf Lillbacka|title=Was Olof Palme Killed by an Intelligence Agency?|journal=International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence|year=2011|volume=24|issue=1|page=130|doi=10.1080/08850607.2010.501705|s2cid=153349904 }}</ref> Aspling was the author of several books, including ''Med Erlander och Palme'' (1999).<ref>{{cite book|author=Sven Aspling|title=Med Erlander och Palme|year=1999|publisher=Hjalmarson & Högberg|isbn=978-91-89080-33-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RbINAAACAAJ|language=sv|location=Stockholm}}</ref> He died at his home in Sundbyberg in February 2000.<ref name=afton/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons-inline}}
{{Swedish Social Democratic Party}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aspling, Sven}} Category:20th-century Swedish journalists Category:1912 births Category:2000 deaths Category:Members of the Riksdag from the Social Democrats Category:People from Filipstad Category:Swedish magazine founders Category:Ministers for social affairs of Sweden Category:Members of the Riksdag 1968–1970 Category:Members of the Riksdag 1970–1973 Category:Members of the Riksdag 1974–1976 Category:Members of the Riksdag 1976–1979 Category:Members of the Riksdag 1979–1982 Category:Members of the Riksdag 1982–1985 Category:Recipients of the Illis quorum Category:Ombudsmen in Sweden