The Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago was the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

of Sweden in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

between 1943 and 1993. The consulate general originated from the

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

vice consulate opened in 1852, which was converted into an honorary consulate in 1908, and into a consulate in 1913 and finally into a consulate general in 1943. The consulate general tasks was to advance the interests of Sweden, and to serve and protect Swedes in Chicago and different states in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. Along with those in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, the consulate general belonged to the so-called "heritage consulates" due to the large number of

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

cases it handled. The consulate general's district initially comprised not only the city of Chicago but also the states of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

but expanded as the Swedish consulates general in Houston and Minneapolis closed. The consulate general in Chicago closed in 1993, and from the same year, a Swedish honorary consulate in Chicago has been operating with an honorary consul as its head.

History

Vice consulate

As early as 1854, the Scandinavian community in Chicago and its environs had burgeoned to such an extent that it necessitated the establishment of a Swedish-Norwegian vice consulate in the area. The initial appointee to this position was Polycarpus von Schneidau, succeeded in 1856 by his close associate, Pastor Gustaf Unonius of the Ansgarins Church. Upon Pastor Unonius' return to Sweden in 1858, Charles J. Sundell assumed the role of vice consul until 1861, when

Oscar Malmborg Frans Oscar Malmborg (February 29, 1820 – April 29, 1880), a veteran of the Mexican War, became famous for his ostentatious manner in training recruits for the American Civil War, primarily the 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment in whi ...

took over. However, Malmborg's tenure was brief as he was called to serve in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

soon after his appointment. The office was then overseen by Gerhard Larson until 1863. P. L. Hawkinson followed Larson for the subsequent seven years. Peter Svanöe, a Norwegian, succeeded him until 1893, when John R. Lindgren assumed the position. When the union between Sweden and Norway dissolved in 1905, Lindgren continued to act as vice consul for Norway until Fredrik Herman Gade was appointed by the Norwegian government.

Consulate

The vice consulate was converted into a consulate by decision on August 28, 1908, with a district covering the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Arkansas. After the Swedish government's action to elevate the vice consulate to a consulate, the consulate thereby came into direct connection with the Swedish minister in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

. The vice consulates in seven midwestern states thereafter directly reported to Consul Lindgren instead of Consul Johnson in

. The elevation to consulate took place in December 1908, with Lindgren appointed as consul until January 1914. In February 1909, Henry S. Henschen was appointed vice consul for Sweden, assuming the role of acting consul in May 1909 due to Lindgren's illness, and serving until January 1914. Before 1914, there had been discussions within the Swedish government about appointing a salaried consul of Swedish citizenship, or a consul missus. Particular consideration had been given to the fact that Chicago was considered the center for the inland areas of the United States where Swedes had settled in the largest numbers. It had also been noted the significant importance that a paid Swedish consulate would have considering the multitude of legal issues arising from emigration. When Count

Albert Ehrensvärd Johan Jakob Albert Ehrensvärd (9 May 1867 – 6 March 1940) was a Swedish diplomat. He was Sweden's envoy to Washington D.C between 1910 and 1911. He became Sweden's Foreign Minister in Liberal leader and Prime Minister Karl Staaff's Second Cabi ...

, who had briefly served as Swedish minister at Washington, D.C., became Foreign Minister in Stockholm, he strongly advocated for the establishment of a salaried consulate in Chicago. This plan was approved by the Swedish

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

in the spring of 1913. The first consul under this designation was Carl Gösta Puke, who assumed office in January 1914, marking the conclusion of Lindgren's and Henschen's terms. In 1914, G. Bernhard Anderson was appointed an unsalaried vice consul to work alongside Consul Puke. In the Council on December 10, 1915, the

King in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of app ...

granted Carl Gösta Puke resignation from January 1, 1916, due to illness. At the same time, the King in Council appointed and commissioned Consul Gylfe Anderberg at the Swedish consulate in Montreal as consul in Chicago from January 1, 1916.

Consulate general

In 1943, the consulate was elevated to consulate general.

Closure

In late 1992, multiple Swedish embassies and consulates were slated for closure as part of severe budget cuts, with an announcement on January 11, 1993. The consulate general in Chicago, with three staff members, closed, leaving only New York City and Los Angeles with Swedish consulates general in the United States. This move was a result of the SEK 100 million that the

Ministry for Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral rela ...

needed to save during the 1993/94 budget year. A Member of Parliament from the Liberal People's Party submitted a

motion In physics, motion is when an object changes its position with respect to a reference point in a given time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed, and frame of reference to an o ...

proposing that Sweden should maintain an official representation in Illinois, specifically in Chicago, despite the proposal to close seven consulates general to save money. The arguments for retaining the representation were that Illinois had a large Swedish-American population with historical significance for Swedish emigration and culture. The proposal also addressed plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the great Swedish emigration in 1996, emphasizing the importance of maintaining strong transatlantic contacts before and during these events. Although a fully staffed consulate general was not deemed necessary, the importance of having a person with a strong interest and sufficient resources to serve as a vital link between Sweden and Illinois was emphasized. The motion also urged the government to plan for continued presence in Chicago before any decisions regarding the closure of the consulate general were made. The consulate general was replaced by an honorary consulate general on July 1, 1993.

Honorary consulate general

In 1993, Sweden made the decision to designate honorary consuls general to manage consulate affairs rather than diplomats. Thomas R. Bolling was selected for Illinois and subsequently reappointed twice. At the time of his initial appointment, he had already served in various roles, including as president of the Mid America Swedish America Trade Association in Chicago, presently recognized as the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce-Chicago (SACC). Additionally, he played a pivotal role as the founding director of the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce (SACC-USA) and served as a board director for the Swedish Council of America. Since 2019, the executive director of the Swedish American Museum, Karin Moen Abercrombie, serves as the honorary consul of Sweden in Chicago.

Tasks

One of the most important tasks for the consulate in Chicago was to maintain good contact with the Swedes in Chicago, which hosted more Swedes than any other city in the world apart from

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

. The consulate, along with those in

, and

, belonged to the so-called heritage consulates due to the large number of

cases the consulate handled. The work at the consulate in Chicago consisted almost exclusively of handling inheritance cases until the 1940s. The effort to spread awareness about Sweden and

Swedish culture The Culture of Sweden is characterised by its art, music, dance, literature, traditions, religious practices and more. It is similar to but distinct from the cultures of neighboring countries. Sweden's modern history has a well-established tradi ...

, both spiritual and material, came to play a subordinate role until the autumn of 1940 and depended on the personal initiative and workload of the respective consul.

District

When the honorary consulate opened in Chicago in 1908, the consulate's district included the states of

, and

. From at least 1969 to 1975, the district, in addition to the city of Chicago, included the states of Illinois,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, Indiana,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, Michigan, Missouri,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, Ohio, and

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. In 1976, responsibility for the states of Arkansas,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

was transferred from the

Consulate General of Sweden, Houston The Consulate General of Sweden, Houston was the diplomatic mission of Sweden in Houston between 1963 and 1981. The consulate general originated from the consulate opened in 1950, which was converted into a consulate general in 1963. Its tasks wer ...

, which was now vacant. At the same time, the states of Colorado and Wyoming were transferred to

Consulate General of Sweden, Minneapolis The Consulate General of Sweden, Minneapolis was the List of diplomatic missions of Sweden, diplomatic mission of Sweden in Minneapolis between 1963 and 1989. The consulate originated from the Consul (representative)#Honorary consul, honorary vice ...

. This situation persisted until 1978. In 1979, the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma were returned to the Consulate General of Sweden, Houston. In 1982, the Consulate General of Sweden, Houston closed, and from 1983, the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago also assumed responsibility for the states of Oklahoma and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. In 1989, the Consulate General of Sweden, Minneapolis closed, and from 1990, the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago also assumed responsibility for the states of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, and Wisconsin until the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago closed in 1993. From 1994, the

Consulate General of Sweden, New York City The Consulate General of Sweden is the diplomatic mission of Sweden in New York City. It is located at One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza in Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay, Manhattan, near the headquarters of the United Nations. The consulate general ...

took over all the states that the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago had previously been responsible for.

Buildings

Chancery

From at least 1916, the consulate was located at 108 South

Lasalle Street LaSalle Street is a major north-south street in Chicago named for René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, a 17th century French explorer of the Illinois Country. The portion that runs through the Chicago Loop is considered to be Chicago's f ...

in the Loop community area of Chicago. It remained there until 1923. From May 1, 1923, the address was 1317 North State Street. It stayed there until 1926. In 1927, the consulate moved to 52 East Cedar Street in what later became the Gold Coast Historic District. It remained there until 1931. In 1932, the consulate moved a few streets away to 44 East Bellevue Place in the Gold Coast Historic District. It stayed there until 1944. In 1945, the consulate general moved into the 333 North Michigan skyscraper on 333

North Michigan Avenue Michigan Avenue is a north-south street in Chicago that runs at 100 east on the Chicago grid. The northern end of the street is at DuSable Lake Shore Drive on the shore of Lake Michigan in the Gold Coast Historic District. The street's south ...

in the Loop community area of Chicago. The consulate general remained at this address for over 40 years. In 1965, it was located in Suite 2121, and from 1966 to 1986 in Suite 2301. In 1987, the consulate general moved to the newly built

Crain Communications Building The Crain Communications Building is a 39-story, 582 foot (177 m) skyscraper located at 150 North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was also known as the Smurfit–Stone Building and the Stone Container Building. While the bui ...

at 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1250, in downtown Chicago. The consulate general remained there until it closed in 1993. The honorary consulate that opened instead has operated at the same address until February 2024 when it moved to 5211 North Clark Street and the Swedish American Museum in the

Andersonville Commercial Historic District The Andersonville Commercial Historic District is a historic district in Chicago, Illinois. It runs from 4800 North Clark Street to 5800 North Clark Street in the city's Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. The area is home to a heavily Swedi ...

. File:333 North Michigan Avenue Chicago.jpg,

333 North Michigan Avenue 333 North Michigan is a skyscraper in the art deco style located in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Architecturally, it is noted for its dramatic upper-level setbacks that were inspired by the 1923 skyscraper zon ...

(1945–1986) File:Crain_Communications_Building_in_Chicago,_May_2016_(2).jpg,

, 150

(1986–1993; 1993–2024) File:Swedish_American_Museum.JPG, Swedish American Museum, 5211 North Clark Street (2014–present)

Residence

From at least 1964 to 1965, the consul general's residence was located at Apartment 7D, 3240 North Lake Shore Drive in the

Lake View East Lakeview (also Lake View) is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. Lakeview is located on the city's North Side and is bordered by West Diversey Parkway on the south, West Irving Park Road and West Montrose Ave on the north, N ...

neighborhood. From 1966 to at least 1968, the residence was located at Apartment 7E, 199 East Lake Shore Drive, in the

East Lake Shore Drive District The East Lake Shore Drive District is a historic district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. It includes eight buildings at 140 E. Walton, 179-229 E. Lake Shore Drive, and 999 N. Lake Shore Drive, including buildings de ...

overlooking

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

. File:20140802 54 View from 360 Chicago (21406268882).jpg, 199 East Lake Shore Drive, to the left of the yellow building at the bottom of the image.

Heads of Mission

Footnotes

References

External links

* of the Honorary Consulate of Sweden, Chicago {{Diplomatic missions of Sweden

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Sweden–United States relations 1913 establishments in Illinois 1993 disestablishments in Illinois

History

Vice consulate

Consulate

Consulate general

Closure

Honorary consulate general

Tasks

District

Buildings

Chancery

Residence

Heads of Mission

See also

Footnotes

References

External links