Karl Hjalmar Branting was a popular social democratic leader whose statesmanship during the earlier half of the 20th century fetched him the Nobel Prize for peace in the year 1921. He served the Social Democratic Labor Party as its president throughout his life. He was also a member of the parliament (Riksdag).
Early Life of Hjalmar Branting
Hjalmar Branting was born on 23rd November, 1860 in the city of Stockholm in Sweden. He was the only son of Professor Lars Branting. He completed his schooling from Beskow School, Stockholm, with excellent marks in subjects like Latin and Mathematics. After completing his higher studies from Uppsala University, he joined the Stockholm Observatory as an assistant to its director in the year 1882. He then became the foreign editor of the Stockholm paper named Tiden and was the chief editor of a socialist newspaper called Social-Demokraten.
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Hjalmar Branting as a Political Leader
Hjalmar Branting founded the Social Democratic Party and initiated the formation of Social Democratic Labor Party in the year 1889. He was appointed as its president in 1907 serving the group till his death. He was an active leader of the Swedish Social Democrats. He was also elected as the member of the parliament (Riksdag) in 1905 and the party leader in 1907. In 1917, after the formation of Liberal-Socialist coalition government, he was made the finance minister. At the League of Nations, he was the first representative from Sweden. The first Social Democratic government of Sweden was constituted by Hjalmar Branting in March 1920. However he failed in the following elections. He could retain his office after coming back to power in 1921.
Hjalmar Branting was not keeping well for a long time. He resigned on 25th January 1925. After his death in February 1925, he was buried in the city of Stockholm.
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