Senior Colonel Anders ''Magnus'' Olson (1 February 1929 – 4 November 2018) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

officer. Olson served as commander of the

Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...

from 1976 to 1980, as Chief of Staff of the

Western Military District The Western Military District (russian: Западный военный округ, Zapadnyy voyennyy okrug) is a Military districts of Russia, military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, ...

from 1984 to 1988 and as

Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train tr ...

and head of the Royal Stables from 1991 to 1996.

Career

Olson was born on 1 February 1929 in Vänersnäs,

Älvsborg County Älvsborg County ( sv, Älvsborgs län) was a county of Sweden until 1997, when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg & Bohus and Skaraborg to form Västra Götaland County. The county corresponded to the traditional province of Dalsl ...

, Sweden, the son of Anders Olson, a farmer, and his wife Maria (née Andersson). Olson graduated from the

Military Academy Karlberg Military Academy Karlberg ( sv, Militärhögskolan Karlberg, MHS K) is a Swedish military academy, since its inauguration in 1792 in operation in the Karlberg Palace in Solna, just north of central Stockholm. It is thus the oldest military academ ...

in 1954 and was commissioned as an officer in the

(K 3). He attended the

Swedish Armed Forces Staff College The oyalSwedish Armed Forces Staff College ( sv, Militärhögskolan, MHS) was from 1961 to 1996 the Swedish Armed Forces highest institution for officers training, for staff and senior executive education and was located in Stockholm. In 1997 it ...

from 1961 to 1963 and was promoted to ''

ryttmästare ''Ryttmästare'' (from the German word ''Rittmeister'') was a military rank in the Swedish cavalry in the Swedish Army. The rank corresponded to the rank of captain in other service branches. The rank was abolished in 1972. History The military ...

'' in

in 1965. The same year, Olsson was promoted to captain and was assigned to the Army Staff and attended British Staff College. Olson was promoted to Major in 1970 and served as a teacher at the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1970 to 1973 and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1972. Olson was appointed head of the Tactics and Intelligence Department in the Army Staff in 1973 and in 1975 he attended the general course at the

Swedish National Defence College The Swedish Defence University ( sv, Försvarshögskolan, FHS) is situated on Drottning Kristinas väg 37 in Östermalm, Stockholm City Centre, next to the campus of the Royal Institute of Technology. History Today's Swedish Defence University ma ...

in 1975 (and its management course in 1984). In 1976, Olsson was appointed regimental commander of the Life Regiment Hussars (K 3) and the year after he was promoted to Colonel. After four years as regimental commander, Olson was appointed military attaché in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1980. He then served as

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

inspector of the

from 1983 to 1984 and as Chief of Staff of the Western Military District from 1984 to 1988. In 1988, Olson was assigned to the

Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces The Supreme Commander ( sv, överbefälhavaren; acronym: ÖB) is the highest ranked professional military officer in the Swedish Armed Forces, and is by NATO terminology the Swedish chief of defence equivalent. The Supreme Commander is the agency ...

and served as military advisor at the European Security Conference (ESC) negotiations in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

for two years. He retired from active service in 1990 and then served as

and head of the Royal Stables from 1991 to 1996. Olson also served as chief '' aide-de-camp'' (''överadjutant'') to His Majesty the King.

Personal life

In 1957, Olson married Margaret (Titti) von Hofsten (born 1933), the daughter of Erland von Hofsten and Ebba (née Sörensen).

Death

Olson died on 4 November 2018 at Borrud

seat farm In Scandinavia, a seat farm (Danish: ''sædegård''; Norwegian: ''setegård''/''setegard''; Swedish: ''sätesgård'' or ''säteri''; Finnish: ''säteriratsutila'') was a farm where a nobleman had his permanent residence. They were found in the Kin ...

in Bäcks

socken Socken is the name used for a part of a county in Sweden. In Denmark similar areas are known as ''sogn'', in Norway ''sokn'' or ''sogn'' and in Finland ''pitäjä'' ''(socken)''. A socken is a country-side area that was formed around a church, ...

Töreboda Municipality Töreboda Municipality (''Töreboda kommun'') is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Töreboda and it includes the population centers of Älgarås and Moholm. The present municipality ...

. His funeral was held in Bäcks Church on 23 November 2018.

Dates of rank

*1954 –

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

*1965 – ''

Ryttmästare ''Ryttmästare'' (from the German word ''Rittmeister'') was a military rank in the Swedish cavalry in the Swedish Army. The rank corresponded to the rank of captain in other service branches. The rank was abolished in 1972. History The military ...

'' *1965 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1970 –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

*1972 –

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

*1977 –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

*1984 – Senior colonel

Awards and decorations

H. M. The King's Medal H. M. ( His Majesty) The King's Medal ( sv, H.M. Konungens medalj), earlier known as the Court Medal ( sv, Hovmedaljen), is a Swedish honour that may be bestowed upon Swedish and foreign citizens. The medal was created in 1814 and is awarded in di ...

, 12th size gold (silver-gilt) medal worn around the neck on 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 Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword ...

ribbon (1996) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight 1st Class of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1972) * Us_legion_of_merit_officer_rib

Officer of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(15 November 1984) * EST_Order_of_the_White_Star_-_2nd_Class_BAR

Second Class of the

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

(11 September 1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, magnus 1929 births 2018 deaths Swedish Army colonels People from Vänersborg Municipality 20th-century Swedish military personnel Swedish military attachés Knights First Class of the Order of the Sword Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit