Robert Magnus Dahlström (11 April 1859 – 5 March 1924) was a Finnish businessman and philanthropist. Dahlström led

trading house A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholders are ...

C.M. Dahlström together with his brother

Ernst Dahlström Ernst Abraham Dahlström (26 March 1846 – 16 January 1924) was a Finnish businessman and philanthropist. Dahlström inherited his father's position as manager of trading house C.M. Dahlström. His younger brother Magnus Dahlström joined in s ...

. The trading house had ownership in number of companies, including Aura Sugar Refinery, in which Dahlström worked as manager. The Dahlström brothers donated large sums to develop cultural activities in city of

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

. They also funded foundation of the Swedish-speaking university

Åbo Akademi Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, city and former Capital city, capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura (Archipelago Sea), Aura River, in the region of Southwest Finland, Finland Proper ...

Career

Dahlström studied first six grades in Åbo svenska klassiska lyceum until 1877, after which he studied business in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He did also studies in Turku art school. He returned in Turku in 1881 to work for trading house C.M. Dahlström founded by his father. He led it together with his older brother

. Magnus Dahlström led Aura Sockerbruks Ab during years 1900–1918; at the same time he was also chairman of the board. He worked also as board member of many other companies. The brothers worked close to each other and it is difficult to distinguish the initiator of each project they were involved to. Also their spouses were siblings: Ernst had married Rosina Sofia Julin in 1875 and Magnus Dahlström married her younger sister, 1860-born Ellen Maria Julin in 1885. The father of the Julin sisters was consul John Julin. Dahlström founded energy company Oy Electron Ab in 1898 together with another local businessman Henning von Rettig. The city granted the company permission to build electrical grid. The company was not able to answer the increasing need of electricity, and after losing tendering for building tram network the company ceased to exist in 1908. In 1905 the brothers founded steam shipping company Transito Ab which focused on timber and coal transportation. At the same time they participated in founding insurance companies Fennia, Verdandi and

Sampo In Finnish mythology, the ''Sampo'' () is a magical device or object described in many different ways that was constructed by the blacksmith Ilmarinen and that brought riches and good fortune to its holder, akin to the horn of plenty (cornucopi ...

, in which they also worked in management positions. Magnus Dahlström was founding member of Ab Crichton and board member from 1914.

Political career

Dahlström was Turku

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

lor in 1896–1904.

Philanthropy

The brothers were theatre and art patrons and in the 1890s they started donating significant sums to their home city, Turku. In 1895 the brothers donated 150 000

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel '' ...

for art museum building. The

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

-made

Turku Art Museum Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, city and former Capital city, capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura (Archipelago Sea), Aura River, in the region of Southwest Finland, Finland Proper ...

planned by

Gustaf Nyström Gustaf Nyström (21 January 1856 – 30 December 1917) was a Finnish architect. Nyström has been described as one of the most important architects in Finland at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. He was active bot ...

was built on Puolalanmäki and inaugurated in April 1904. In 1912 the brothers saved the Swedish-speaking theatre from financial trouble; the theatre was renamed

Åbo Svenska Teater Åbo Svenska Teater ( fi, Turun ruotsalainen teatteri) is a Finland-Swedish theatre in the city of Turku in Finland and the oldest theatre in the country, founded in 1839. The building itself is also the oldest still functioning theatre house in F ...

in 1919. Donations by Dahlström brothers had an important role in 1919 at founding

, the Swedish speaking university of Turku. While the art museum and university were the most significant donations, the brothers also supported individual students and public health work. Their actions also inspired other donors. Magnus and Ellen Dahlström remained childless and bequeathed their property to Åbo Akademi, Turku Art Association and Åbo Svenska Teater. Their former residence close to

Turku Cathedral Turku Cathedral ( fi, Turun tuomiokirkko, sv, Åbo domkyrka) is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat ...

is nowadays in use by Åbo Akademi.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahlstrom, Magnus 19th-century Finnish businesspeople Crichton-Vulcan People from Turku 1859 births 1924 deaths