Axel Lewenhaupt
{{Short description|Swedish diplomat (1917–2018)}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Count
| name = Axel Lewenhaupt
| image = Axel Charles Emil Lewenhaupt.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Axel Charles Emil Lewenhaupt
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|5|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Helsingborg, Sweden
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|11|20|1917|5|27|df=y}}
| death_place = Stockholm, Sweden
| other_names =
| occupation = Diplomat
| years_active = 1943–1988
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| spouse = {{marriage|Elsa Rudberg|1944|1990|end=her death}}
{{marriage|Louise Ehrensvärd|1991|2014|end=her death}}
| children = 2
| relations = C. A. Ehrensvärd (father in law)
| alma_mater = Uppsala University
}}
Count Axel Charles Emil Lewenhaupt (27 May 1917 – 20 November 2018) was a Swedish diplomat and Grand Master of Ceremonies at the Royal Court of Sweden.
Early life
Lewenhaupt was born on 27 May 1917 in Helsingborg, Sweden, the son of Colonel, Count {{ill|Gustaf Lewenhaupt (1875–1951)|lt=Gustaf Lewenhaupt|sv|Gustaf Lewenhaupt (1875–1951)}} and his wife Baroness Elisabeth Ramel. He passed studentexamen in 1936 and his reserve officer exam in 1938 and received a Candidate of Law degree from Uppsala University in 1942 before becoming an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1943.{{cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/vemarvem/sthlm62/0793.html |editor1-last=Harnesk |editor1-first=Paul |date=1962 |title=Vem är vem? |volume=1, Stor-Stockholm |trans-title=Who's Who? |edition=2nd |location=Stockholm |publisher=Vem är vem bokförlag |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|53509}} |page=769}}{{cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/vemardet/1993/0648.html |editor1-last=Uddling |editor1-first=Hans |editor2-last=Paabo |editor2-first=Katrin |year=1992 |title=Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993 |trans-title=Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Norstedt |isbn=91-1-914072-X |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|8261513}} |page=648}}
Career
Lewenhaupt served as an attaché in Rome in 1943. The Swedish legation's duties during World War II in Rome included taking special measures to protect Swedish interests and Swedish nationals (including Elizabeth Hesselblad) who was still in Rome. The focus was to protect the Swedish Institute and the convent church Santa Brigida.{{cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/den-heliga-birgitta-far-sallskap-av-elisabeth/ |newspaper=Dagens Nyheter |title=Den heliga Birgitta får sällskap av Elisabeth |trans-title=Saint Birgitta is joined by Elisabeth |first=Peter |last=Loewe |date=2016-06-05 |access-date=22 July 2016 |language=sv}} After Rome, Lewenhaupt was attaché in Berlin in 1944 and in Helsinki from 1945 to 1947. He was second secretary at the Foreign Ministry from 1948 to 1952 and first legation secretary in Madrid from 1952 to 1956. Lewenhaupt was first secretary at the Foreign Ministry from 1956 to 1958 and director at the Foreign Ministry from 1958 to 1960.
He was embassy counsellor in Washington, D.C. from 1960 to 1962 and ambassador in Leopoldville from 1962 to 1963. Lewenhaupt was acting head of the political department at the Foreign Ministry from 1964 to 1965 and its administrative department from 1965 to 1967. He was ambassador in Bangkok, Rangoon, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore{{cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/vemardet/1969/0570.html |editor-last=Lagerström |editor-first=Sten |year=1968 |title=Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1969 |trans-title=Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1969 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Norstedt |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|3681519}} |page=554}} from 1967 to 1970 and ambassador in New Delhi, Colombo and Katmandu{{cite book |date=1972 |title=Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1972 |editor-first=Bengt |editor-last=Sköldenberg |location=Stockholm |publisher=Fritzes offentliga publikationer |language=sv |url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1972/0354.html |page=354}} from 1970 to 1975. Lewenhaupt was then ambassador in Belgrade and Tirana from 1975 to 1978 and served at the Foreign Ministry from 1978 to 1979. He was ambassador in Rome and Valletta{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2009-11-14/opinions/diplomatic-relations-between-malta-and-sweden-266251/ |newspaper=The Malta Independent |title=Diplomatic Relations between Malta and Sweden |first=Francis |last=Cachia |date=14 November 2009 |access-date=22 July 2015}} from 1979 to 1983 and Grand Master of Ceremonies at the Royal Court of Sweden from 1983 to 1988.
Other work
Lewenhaupt was also secretary of the Foreign Ministry's admissions commission (UD:s antagningskommission) in 1951 and representative at trade negotiations with Spain, Soviet Union and other nations from 1952 to 1958. He became a member of the Royal Automobile Club in 1956 and was the companion of the Duke of Halland at the officer's visit to Ethiopia and Liberia in 1959. Lewenhaupt was representative at the United Nations General Assembly in 1973 and permanent representative at the Food and Agriculture Organization from 1979 to 1983.
Personal life
In 1944, Lewenhaupt married Elsa Rudberg (1918–1990), the daughter of first accountant Ivar Rudberg and Sonja Bergström. He was the father of Anne (1946–2018) and Eva (born 1948). In 1991 he married Countess Louise Ehrensvärd (1925–2014{{cite web |url=http://hittagraven.stockholm.se/sv/Galarvarvskyrkogarden/01//523b/1 |website=hittagraven.se |title=Galärvarvskyrkogården, kvarter 01, gravnummer 523b |access-date=22 July 2016 |language=sv}}), the daughter of the General, Count Carl August Ehrensvärd and Countess Gisela Bassewitz.
Death
Lewenhaupt turned 100 in May 2017{{cite news |url=https://www.pressreader.com/finland/hufvudstadsbladet/20170428/281487866243232 |newspaper=Hufvudstadsbladet |title=Jämnårig med Finland |via=PressReader |author=Staff |date=2017-04-28 |access-date=2017-07-05 |language=sv}} and died in November 2018 at the age of 101.{{cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/familj/minnesord-axel-lewenhaupt-1/ |newspaper=Dagens Nyheter |title=Minnesord: Axel Lewenhaupt |first1=Hans |last1=Ewerlöf |first2=Lars |last2=Grundberg |first3=Johan |last3=Molander |first4=Christer |last4=Sylvén |first5=Magnus |last5=Vahlquist |date=2018-12-10 |access-date=17 December 2018 |language=sv}}
Awards and decorations
- Commander of the Order of Civil Merit
- Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
- Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy
- Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
- Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Ethiopia
- Commander of the Order of the Crown
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic
- Swedish Red Cross badge of merit in silver (Svenska Röda Korsets förtjänsttecken i silver)
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last=Lewenhaupt |first=Axel |title=Hågkomster: [från barn- och ungdomsåren samt tiden i utrikestjänsten och vid hovet] |trans-title=Reminiscences: [from childhood and adolescence, as well as the time spent in the foreign service and at the court] |year=2002 |publisher=A. Lewenhaupt |location=Stockholm |language=sv |isbn=91-973255-9-7 |id={{LIBRIS|9132715}}}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{s-start-collapsible|header={{S-dip}}}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Republic of the Congo |before=None |years=1962–1963 |after=Dag Malm}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Thailand |before=Åke Sjölin |years=1967–1970 |after=Eric Virgin}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Burma |before=Åke Sjölin |years=1967–1970 |after=Eric Virgin}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia |before=Åke Sjölin |years=1967–1970 |after=Eric Virgin}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Singapore |before=Åke Sjölin |years=1967–1970 |after=Eric Virgin}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to India |before=Gunnar Heckscher |years=1970–1975 |after=Lennart Finnmark}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Sri Lanka |before=Gunnar Heckscher |years=1970–1975 |after=Lennart Finnmark}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Nepal |before=Gunnar Heckscher |years=1970–1975 |after=Lennart Finnmark}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh |before=None |years=1972–1975 |after=Lennart Finnmark}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Yugoslavia |before=Lennart Finnmark |years=1975–1978 |after=Bertil Arvidson}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Albania |before=Lennart Finnmark |years=1975–1978 |after=Bertil Arvidson}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Italy |before=Dick Hichens-Bergström |years=1979–1983 |after=Eric Virgin}}
{{Succession box |title=Ambassador of Sweden to Malta |before=Dick Hichens-Bergström |years=1979–1983 |after=Eric Virgin}}
{{succession box |before=Dick Hichens-Bergström |title=Permanent Representative of Sweden to the FAO |years=1979–1983 |after=Eric Virgin}}
{{s-court}}
{{Succession box |title=Grand Master of Ceremonies |before=Tore Tallroth |years=1983–1988 |after=Carl Gustaf von Platen}}
{{S-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewenhaupt, Axel}}
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Thailand
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Myanmar
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Malaysia
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Singapore
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to India
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Sri Lanka
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Nepal
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Bangladesh
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Yugoslavia
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Albania
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Italy
Category:Ambassadors of Sweden to Malta
Category:Representatives of Sweden to the Food and Agriculture Organization
Category:People from Helsingborg
Category:Swedish men centenarians
Category:Uppsala University alumni
Category:Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia