Claes Tholin

{{Short description|Swedish politician (1860–1927)}}

File:Claes Tholin.jpg

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.Göran Jakobsson (12 January 2008): [http://www.bt.se/nyheter/ulricehamn/ett-namn-som-blev-en-bok%28425877%29.gm Ett namn som blev en bok] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207090231/http://www.bt.se/nyheter/ulricehamn/ett-namn-som-blev-en-bok%28425877%29.gm |date=2008-02-07 }} {{in lang|sv}} Borås Tidning, retrieved 4 August 2013.

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.Crafting the Movement: Identity Entrepreneurs in the Swedish Trade Union Movement, 1920–1940, Jenny Jansson, Cornell University Press, 2020, p. 56