Erlander, Tage Fritiof [key], 1901–85, Swedish socialist leader, prime minister of Sweden (1946–69). On the editorial staff of the encyclopedia Svensk Upplagsbok from 1929 to 1938, he was first elected to the Riksdag in 1933. He held several ministerial positions before 1946 and became a leading expert on education and social welfare. A Social Democrat, Erlander helped further the development of the Swedish socialist state. Although sympathetic to the West, Erlander preserved formal Swedish neutrality in the cold war. At his retirement he was succeeded as party leader and prime minister by Olaf Palme.
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