Swedish `commissioner' official acting on
behalf of the private citizen in
investigating complaints against the
government. The post is of Scandinavian
origin; it was introduced in Sweden 1809,
Denmark 1954, and Norway 1962, and spread to
other countries from the 1960s. The first
Commonwealth country to appoint an ombudsman
was New Zealand 1962; the UK followed 1966
with a parliamentary commissioner; and Hawaii
was the first US state to appoint an
ombudsman, 1967. The UK Local Government Act
1974 set up a local ombudsman, or
commissioner for local administration, to
investigate maladministration by local
councils, police, health or water
authorities. In the 1980s, ombudsmen have
been appointed to private bodies such as
banks (1986), insurance companies (1983), and
building societies (1988). Hawaii was the
first state to appoint an ombudsman 1967.