Knut Agathon Wallenberg (19 May 1853 – 1 June 1938) was a Swedish

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, he was also a Knight of the

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...

. Wallenberg was

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

1914–1917, and member of the Riksdag's ''

Första kammaren The Första kammaren (literally "First Chamber", often abbreviated 'FK') was the upper house of the bicameral Riksdag of Sweden between 1866 and 1970 that replaced the Riksdag of the Estates. During the bicameral period, the lower house of the ...

'' (the Upper house) 1907–1919. Together with his wife, he created Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, which is one of the main contributors to the private university

Stockholm School of Economics The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; sv, Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with ...

. Wallenberg was one of the founders of the Stockholm School of Economics, and is also seen as the founder of the community of

Saltsjöbaden Saltsjöbaden is a locality in Nacka Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,491 inhabitants in 2010. It is on the Baltic Sea coast, deep in the Stockholm Archipelago. History Saltsjöbaden () was developed as a resort by Knut Agathon W ...

and an associated railroad.

Early life

Wallenberg was born on 19 May 1853 in

Katarina Parish Katarina Parish ( sv, Katarina församling) is a parish in Södermalm's church district (''kontrakt'') in the Diocese of Stockholm, Sweden. The parish is located in Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm County. The parish forms its own pastorship. ...

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 ...

, the son of

André Oscar Wallenberg André Oscar Wallenberg (19 November 1816 – 12 January 1886) was a Swedish banker, industrialist, naval officer, newspaper tycoon, politician and a patriarch of the Wallenberg family. In 1856 Wallenberg founded the Stockholms Enskilda Bank, t ...

(1816–1886) and his first wife Catharina Wilhelmina Andersson (1826–1855). He was the brother of Oscara (1847–1863), Jacob (1851–1872), and Wilhelm (1855–1910). He also had 14 half-siblings, including Marcus (1864–1943) and

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

(1875–1970).

Career

In 1874 Wallenberg was commissioned as a naval officer and became Acting Sub-Lieutenant (''Underlöjtnant'') in the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

the same year and joined the board of Stockholms Enskilda Bank. In 1876 he went to Georgiis' Banking Institution (''Georgiis bankinstitut''), and he was appointed lieutenant in the navy in 1876, from which he resigned in 1882. Wallenberg was then employed by the

Crédit Lyonnais The Crédit Lyonnais (, "Lyon Credit ompany) was a major French bank, created in 1863 and absorbed by former rival Crédit Agricole in 2003. Its head office was initially in Lyon but moved to Paris in 1882. In the early years of the 20th c ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

from 1877 to 1878. After his father's death, Wallenberg, who has long been involved in the management of Stockholms Enskilda Bank, took over as the CEO. In many respects his father's spiritual heir, the company led by him became one of Sweden's foremost, which mediated the taking up of large government loans and other significant deals. He was also the driving force for many in the economic field, including in the creation of the residential community

near Stockholm and the railways connecting these places. From 1883 he belonged to the Stockholm City Council (''Stockholms stadsfullmäktige'') and from 1890 its Drafting Committee (''Beredningsutskottet'').

Personal life

In 1878 he married Alice Olga Constance Nickelsen (1858–1956). The couple adopted Jeanne Nyström (1885–1962), who was then two years old, in 1887 and she was named Nannie Wallenberg. She was born out of wedlock to

Jean Karadja Pasha Prince Jean Constantin Alexandre Othon Karadja Pasha (March 9, 1835 in Nauplia – August 11, 1894 in The Hague) was a Phanariot army officer and diplomat of the Ottoman Empire. He was also a talented pianist and composer. Family Jean was the ...

, and thus half-sister to

Constantin Karadja Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démétrius Karadja (24 November 1889 in The Hague – 28 December 1950 in Bucharest) was a Romanian diplomat, barrister-at-law, bibliographer, bibliophile and honorary member (1946) of the Romanian Academy. He ...

Death

Wallenberg died on 1 June 1938 in Skeppsholm Parish, Stockholm.

Awards

Swedish

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty the King (Order of the Seraphim) (6 June 1916) * Order of the Seraphim - Ribbon bar

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) * Order of the Vasa - Ribbon bar

Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

(24 January 1912) * Order of the Vasa - Ribbon bar

Commander First Class of the

(23 September 1897) * Order of the Polar Star - Ribbon bar, pre 1975

Commander First Class of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star ( Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of t ...

(15 October 1906) * Order of the Polar Star - Ribbon bar, pre 1975

Knight of the

(1890)

Foreign

Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (between 1910 and 1915) * DNK Order of Danebrog Commander 1st Degree BAR

Commander First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog (at the latest 1905) * Legion Honneur GC ribbon

Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(between 1910 and 1915) * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officer of the

(at the latest 1905) * St Olavs Orden storkors stripe

Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (between 1910 and 1915) * St Olavs Orden kommandør med stjerne stripe

Commander First Class of the Order of St. Olav (at the latest 1905) * Ord

Knight Second Class of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

with Star (between 1905 and 1908) * Order St

Knight Second Class of the Order of Saint Stanislaus with Star (at the latest 1905) * Order of the White Elephant - 2nd Class (Thailand) ribbon

Second Class of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

(between 1905 and 1908)

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1928) *Honorary member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, archite ...

(1913) *Honorary member of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence i ...

(1914)

References

Notes

Print

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallenberg, Knut Agathon 1853 births 1938 deaths Swedish Ministers for Foreign Affairs Members of the Första kammaren Swedish bankers Knut Agathon Swedish Navy officers Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences