Claes Emil Tholin (22 October 1860 in the former Södra Säm parish near Gällstad, Älvsborgs län – 27 June 1927 in Stockholm) was the first leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party 1896–1907, after collective leadership had been applied in 1889–1896. He was a tailor by occupation. In the years 1880–1890 he worked in Copenhagen and became a member of the tailor's union board there. After returning to Sweden he continued his work as a tailor while becoming a leading force in the Swedish social democratic movement.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Claes_Tholin.jpg/220px-Claes_Tholin.jpg)
In 1907, he was hired by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (the "LO" - Landsorganisationen i Sverige) as their organizing ombudsman, coordinating organization efforts and speaking at rallies. He continued this work until 1919, when he became a member of Work Council tasked by the government with implementing the eight hour day.[2]
References
edit- ^ Göran Jakobsson (12 January 2008): Ett namn som blev en bok Archived 2008-02-07 at the Wayback Machine (in Swedish) Borås Tidning, retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ Crafting the Movement: Identity Entrepreneurs in the Swedish Trade Union Movement, 1920–1940, Jenny Jansson, Cornell University Press, 2020, p. 56