Albin Hagström (May 25, 1905 in Orsa – April 3, 1952) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

entrepreneur.

Background and family

Hagström was born in

Orsa, Sweden Orsa () is a locality and the seat of Orsa Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,308 inhabitants (2010). It is located in the northern part of lake Siljan, about north of the town Mora. Inlandsbanan and European route E45 run through th ...

. Hagström was the father of Karl-Erik Hagström (his business successor in 1961), Kärstin Hagström-Heikkinen, Lars Hagström, and Anna-Lehna Hagström.

Career

Albin Hagström learned to play the accordion at an early age, and he started performing at local dances and parties. In 1921 he bought two German accordions. He then sold one of them, and he rented out the other one to local musicians. These were the roots of his industrial career. Hagström founded the company AB Albin Hagström in 1925 and built up a business empire based on manufacturing and selling accordions. The Hagström brand became internationally known and respected. After importing and selling accordions for a few years, the Albin Hagström company was registered in 1925. The company was headquartered in

Älvdalen Älvdalen (Elfdalian: ''Övdaln'' or ''Tjyörtjbynn''; literally meaning ''The River Valley'') is a locality and the seat of Älvdalen Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 1,810 inhabitants in 2010. The parish is widely known for being the ...

. With the help of newspaper ads, Hagström continually found new business opportunities, and he began working with Italian accordion manufacturers to develop an accordion especially designed for the Swedish market. His idea took off, and the demand for the Italian-made Hagström instruments was constantly growing. Hagström made several trips to Italy to develop new accordions, and at the same time learned the business. Problems with deliveries and increasing concerns about the European currency market resulted in Hagström investing in his own manufacturing in 1932, and he opened his first accordion factory in Älvdalen. Over the next 20 years, Hagström's company became one of the world's largest accordion producers, and the company constantly expanded until Hagström's death. It established factories internationally, including in the United States. A music school was started in connection with the business chain Hagström Musik, which became the model for municipal music schools. Hagström died of

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Legacy

The

Albin Hagström Memorial Award The Albin Hagström Memorial Award ( sv, Albin Hagströms Minnespris) was a prize that was awarded between 1997 and 2006 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in memory of Albin Hagström, a well-known accordionist and accordion maker from Älvdale ...

, conferred from 1997 to 2006, was named after Hagström.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagstrom, Albin 1905 births 1952 deaths 20th-century Swedish businesspeople Swedish accordionists People from Orsa Municipality