September 1998. Lorentz Andersson, Aron Engström, and Per-Erik Larsson at an election night invigilation.
Lorentz Andersson was born in Byske on May 21, 1942, but moved to Ursviken when he was one year old. It was a place he remained loyal to throughout his life, even during his years as county governor from 2001 to 2007, when he lived in Umeå.
He grew up in a working-class household where his father worked at Scharins and his mother worked as a cleaner. When he went to high school in Skellefteå, he saw firsthand how his parents' "lower" social status would affect his life for the worse. The children of Rönnskär executives had their own school bus, while the children of the workers had to take the train, which made their school days much longer. It was during this time that Lorentz Andersson's political spark was ignited, and he joined the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (SSU).
At the age of 16 he started working at Scharins in Ursviken. He later moved to Rönnskär before returning to school to study civil engineering. After graduating, he got a job at Larco, which at the time was one of the three largest construction companies in Skellefteå. In the mid-1970s, he gave up his job as an engineer and switched to a political career. Among other things, he was chairman of the building committee and CEO of Skellefteå Industrifus AB, which later became Polaris AB and is now known as Skellefteå Industrifus again.
June 2013. Lorentz Andersson and Carl Bennet had close collaboration on several occasions. Here, they meet at the inauguration of the Sävenäs machinery house.
In 1980, he succeeded Karl-Erik Lundström as the leader of Skellefteå municipality, with the title of chairman of the municipal board. Ten years later, he was elected to the Social Democratic Party's executive committee, where he had the opportunity to influence national politics. During his ten years on the executive committee, he worked with both Ingvar Carlsson and Göran Persson. Lorentz Andersson believed that both leaders were good for the party and the country, but that they had completely different leadership styles. Ingvar Carlsson was the quiet one and Göran Persson the decisive one. Lorentz Andersson has always felt an affinity with Göran Person and his philosophy that municipalities, county councils, and the state should keep their finances in order. That they should not lend money for activities that do not generate income.
2018. He was appointed an honorary doctor of technology at Luleå University of Technology.
Although many perceived Lorentz Andersson as a strong and somewhat domineering leader, that was not how he saw his leadership. He believed that a leader should not only take the credit for the good times, but also stand up and take responsibility for unpopular decisions.
At the turn of the millennium, Boliden faced a severe financial crisis that required a substantial emergency cash injection. The company needed 500 million kronor to stave off disaster. Because of Lorentz's close relationship with industrialist Carl Bennet, he called him to explain the dire situation. Bennet stepped in, and together with Anders Sundström, who was very active in the banking sector at the time, they arranged financing. Boliden managed to avoid bankruptcy and Rönnskär's operations were saved.
May 1984. Defense Minister Roine Carlsson and Lorentz Andersson visit Ursvikens mechanical workshop, with Kurt-Lennart Alenius on the left.
In 2008, he was awarded the King's Medal, the 12th size of the Order of the Seraphim, for his "outstanding contribution to society".
Lorentz Andersson was involved in many national issues throughout his career. During his last active years, he worked diligently to realize the construction of the Norrbotnia Railway, a railway that would connect Skellefteå with the rest of Sweden - a project he sadly didn't live to see completed.
