Hjalmar Hammarskjöld
Knut Hjalmar Leonard Hammarskjöld (Swedish: [ˈjǎlmar ˈhâmːarˌɧœld]; 4 February 1862 – 12 October 1953) was a Swedish politician and scholar who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917. He was a member of the Riksdag from 1923 to 1938 in the first chamber. He headed Sweden's government during most of World War I, and maintained the nation's neutrality in that conflict. He was ideologically conservative, although he was never officially a member of any political party.
Hjalmar Hammarskjöld | |
|---|---|
Hjalmar Hammarskjöld | |
| Prime Minister of Sweden | |
| In office 17 February 1914 – 30 March 1917 | |
| Monarch | Gustaf V |
| Preceded by | Karl Staaff |
| Succeeded by | Carl Swartz |
| Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs | |
| In office 2 August – 7 November 1905 | |
| Prime Minister | Christian Lundeberg |
| Preceded by | Karl Husberg |
| Succeeded by | Fridtjuv Berg |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 5 December 1901 – 2 August 1902 | |
| Prime Minister | Fredrik von Otter |
| Preceded by | Ludvig Annerstedt |
| Succeeded by | Ossian Berger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Knut Hjalmar Leonard Hammarskjöld 4 February 1862 Tuna, United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway |
| Died | 12 October 1953 (aged 91) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Åke and Dag |
| Signature | |
A member of the prominent Hammarskjöld family, he studied law at Uppsala University. He later served as Minister for Justice and Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs. He was appointed as prime minister following the resignation of Karl Staaff.
During World War I, although he was perceived as pro-German, he perused a policy of neutrality. He rejected a trade agreement with Britain, and food shortages led to protests against his government. Hammarskjöld resigned in 1917. He continued to hold political offices and continued his scholarly work. He died in 1953. He was the father of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second United Nations Secretary General from 1953 to 1961.