Ulf Adelsohn

Ulf Adelsohn
Leader of the Opposition
In office 8 October 1982 – 23 August 1986 (3 years, 319 days)
Prime Minister	Olof Palme Ingvar Carlsson
Preceded by	Olof Palme
Succeeded by	Carl Bildt
Leader of the Moderate Party
In office 1981 – 23 August 1986
Preceded by	Gösta Bohman
Succeeded by	Carl Bildt
Personal details
Born	(1941-10-04) 4 October 1941 Stockholm, Sweden
Political party	Moderate Party
Spouse(s)	Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth (m. 1981-present)
Alma mater	Stockholm University

Ulf Adelsohn (born 4 October 1941) is a Swedish politician, leader of the Moderate Party from 1981 to 1986 and Governor of Stockholm County from 1992 to 2001. He was a member of the Riksdag from 1982 to 1988 and served as chairman of SJ AB in 2001–2011, resigning due to quarrels with the government.

Life and career

Adelsohn was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Margareta (née Halling) and Oskar Adelsohn. His paternal grandparents were Polish Jews and his mother was of Swedish descent.

Adelsohn became the chairman of the Moderate Students in 1966–1968, earned a Candidate of Law degree in 1968 and in the same year became the deputy chairman of the Moderate Party in Stockholm. Mayor of Stockholm 1976–1979. Minister of Communications in the centre-right government of Thorbjörn Fälldin from 1979 to 1981, party leader of Moderate Party from 1981 to 1986 and Governor of Stockholm County from 1992 to 2001.

Since 2001 he was chairman of the board for SJ, the Swedish Railways, resigning in 2011. In 2005 he decided to stand for election for Stockholm City Council again, declaring himself to be a candidate for Speaker of the Council. His candidacy was however withdrawn before the elections in 2006.

He is married to Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, who is the current Minister for Culture, and has two children, Erik and Ebba. An avid supporter of Djurgårdens IF, he was at one point chairman of the club's ice hockey department.

He studied at Stockholm University. He was the chairman of the Confederation of Swedish Conservative and Liberal Students, was opposing the occupation of the Student Union Building in Stockholm in 1968 and was a co-founder of Borgerliga Studenter – Opposition '68 later in the same year.

He is also a descendant (great-great-great-great-grandson) of Jacob Johan Anckarström, the assassin of king Gustav III of Sweden. Anckarström was convicted of regicide and executed.