Professor Gunnar Edvard Heckscher (8 July 1909 - 24 November 1987) was a Swedish political scientist and leader of the Rightist Party (Högerpartiet), which later became the Moderate Party.
Gunnar Heckscher was born in Djursholm, the son of famous economist Eli Heckscher. He graduated from Uppsala University in 1927 and obtained a PhD 1934. He lectured in Political Science at Uppsala between 1933 and 1941 and at what later became Stockholm University between 1941 and 1948. He was Dean of the Social Institute of Stockholm 1945-1954. He became a professor in 1948 and worked at both the Social Institute and at Stockholm University.
Gunnar Heckscher was a member of the Riksdag for Stockholm between 1957 and 1965.
After having been deputy chairman, Heckscher was elected leader of the party in 1961 and served until 1965. He was an early supporter of Swedish membership of the European Community.
He was later the Swedish ambassador to Japan 1965-1970 and India 1970-1975.
One of his sons is Sten Heckscher, Social Democratic politician and later national chief of the Swedish police (Rikspolischef) .
Gunnar Heckscher was the first partyleader of the Rightist Party (Moderate Party) of Jewish origin. The second party leader with that origin was Ulf Adelsohn who chaired the party between 1981 - 1986.