The Consulate General of Sweden, Houston 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

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 ...

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 were to advance the interests of Sweden, and to serve and protect Swedes in Houston and different states in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. Along with those 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 ...

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 ...

, and

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, 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 comprised not only the city of Houston but also the states of

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 ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

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 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

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 the

Florida panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

. Between the years 1971 and 1977, there was no appointed consul general. In 1978, the consulate general was reopened but was shut down only three years later. Since 1983, a Swedish honorary consulate general has been operating in Houston. The Swedish government announced in February 2025 that it intends to reopen the Consulate General in Houston.

History

Consulate

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 ...

decided on November 15, 1949, to establish an honorary consulate in Houston and had prescribed that a position in salary grade Ca 33 within the Swedish foreign service would be temporarily stationed at this consulate. For this purpose, the consul position that was attached to 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 ...

had been temporarily reassigned. As it was desirable for this position to be returned to its regular place of assignment, the

minister 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 re ...

appointed that a specific position, such as consul in salary grade Ca 33 stationed in Houston, should be established. Consul Gunnar Dyrelius, appointed as consul in Houston, emphasized that the establishment of the consulate was a pioneering effort within the Swedish export drive in the United States. The southern part of the southwestern states had not been commercially explored from the Swedish side before. It was understood that there should be no exaggerated hopes of quickly establishing a large market there, but the area had significant potential and was one of the wealthiest parts of the United States. A quarter of all investments in the United States in 1948 were made in

. At the establishment of the consulate, it had not yet been determined how large the district of the new "export consulate" would encompass, but it was expected to include Texas,

, and

, most of which had previously belonged to the district of the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago. In May 1950, the consulate moved into its own premises. It was officially inaugurated on May 24. The premises housed a permanent exhibition of Swedish industrial and artisanal products. The consulate was located at 3602 Montrose Boulevard in the

Neartown Montrose is an area located in west-central Houston, Texas, United States and is one of the city's major cultural areas. Montrose is a area roughly bounded by Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 to the south, Allen Parkway to the north, South Shepher ...

- Montrose area. The premises were exclusively furnished with Swedish office furniture, and the spaces were entirely dedicated to the exhibition of Swedish industrial and artisanal products. The exhibition concept was further developed, and in early June 1950, Consul

Gunnar Dryselius Gunnar Daniel Dryselius (2 May 1907 – 16 September 1982) was a Swedish diplomat. Dryselius began his diplomatic career in 1933 and held early postings in London, Prague, and Buenos Aires, where he played a crucial role in securing vital Swedish ...

traveled to Sweden to establish contacts with companies whose products were expected to gain traction in this vast and largely untapped market for Sweden. At the inauguration of the consulate, representatives from the city's business and trade community gathered to participate, including Mayor

Oscar F. Holcombe Oscar Fitzallen Holcombe (December 31, 1888 – June 18, 1968) was an American businessman who served as the mayor of Houston, Texas, for 22 years, in 11 non-consecutive terms. Biography Holcombe was born in Mobile, Alabama, and raised in San A ...

and former Secretary of Commerce Jesse H. Jones. Importers from other parts of Texas also attended to explore what Sweden could offer. Nearly 1,000 people participated in the ceremonies, which began with the national anthems of both countries. Consul Gunnar Dryselius expressed hope that the new consulate would serve as a bridge between Sweden and the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

, promoting increased trade, tourism, and cultural exchange for the mutual benefit of both countries.

Consulate general

In 1963, the consulate was elevated to consulate general. When the consulate was upgraded to a consulate general, Consul Karl Henrik Andersson was appointed as the Consul General there. On July 1, 1971, the consulate general in Houston was transformed into a trade commissioner office. After that, Sweden did not have a Consul General in Houston for the next seven years. During this time, the office was staffed by a vice consul.

Final years and closure

In 1978, Sweden reestablished the consulate general in Houston due to "the heavy economic decisions that will be made in this region in the future." The year before, the county governor and former leader of the

Moderate Party The Moderate Party ( , , M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative* * * * * List of political parties in Sweden, political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free ma ...

, Yngve Holmberg, was offered the position of Consul General in Houston, despite criticism from the labor organizations of 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 ...

, TCO and SACO/ SR. They had previously objected to what they called "retreat appointments," where competent Ministry for Foreign Affairs officials were passed over in the promotion process when ambassadorial positions were given to former parliamentarians instead of those trained by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. On December 1, 1977, Holmberg was appointed as the new Consul General. He commenced his duties on January 1, 1978. In September 1980, it was reported that

Chancellor of Justice The Chancellor of Justice is a government official found in some northern European countries, broadly responsible for supervising the lawfulness of government actions. History In 1713, the Swedish King Charles XII, preoccupied with fighting t ...

had initiated a preliminary investigation into Holmberg's actions as head of the Swedish Consulate General in Houston. Earlier that year, staff at the consulate general had requested the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to intervene to address certain collaboration issues. The Chancellor of Justice announced that Holmberg was suspected of having acted criminally in two instances. In one case, it was related to allegedly receiving " improper remuneration in the exercise of his duties." In the other case, he was suspected of having requested such remuneration. At the end of November 1980, the Chancellor of Justice announced that Holmberg would be prosecuted for bribery. Pending the trial, Holmberg's duties were relocated to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs administration in Stockholm. No substitute for Holmberg was appointed in Houston. In September 1980, it was reported that the consulate general would remain operational despite the absence of a Consul General, but with reduced staffing, primarily focusing on the offshore and shipbuilding industries. On February 13, 1981, Holmberg was convicted in

Stockholm District Court Stockholm District Court () is a Swedish district court in Stockholm. Stockholm District Court is Sweden's largest public court and is located in Stockholm Court House on Kungsholmen in Stockholm. History The Stockholm District Court was estab ...

for bribery and was sentenced to a conditional sentence combined with 90

day-fine A day-fine, unit fine or structured fine is a pecuniary sanction which is based on the severity of the offence as well as the income (or wealth) of the offender. The fine amount is calculated by determining the number of days based on the sever ...

s of 90 SEK each, and 5,000 SEK in legal costs. Three months later, in May 1981, Holmberg requested to resign from his position in Houston, which the Swedish government granted. He was then given three months to wind down the operations. Holmberg was placed on leave by the government as of August 1, 1981. On the same date, the consulate general was closed.

Honorary consulate general and reopening

In 1983, Sweden instead opened an honorary consulate general in

Bellaire, Texas Bellaire is a city in southwestern Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area.. Retrieved on January 24, 2010. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 17,202. It is surrounded by th ...

, with attorney Jeffrey B. Love serving as the honorary consul general. Since the 1980s, the consulate general has been located at several places in

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...

. Today, the honorary consulate general is located at the same address as the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Texas (SACC-Texas) in Houston. In December 2007, the Swedish government rescinded the 2004 decision to establish a consulate general in Houston. The 2004 decision had never been implemented due to a lack of resources. The Swedish government announced in February 2025 that it intends to reopen the consulate general. It will focus on promoting cooperation between the countries in trade, investment and innovation.

Tasks

The consulate, along with those in

, and

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

cases the consulate handled. During the 1980s, the consulate general primarily focused on the offshore and shipbuilding industries.

District

From 1949, the consulate's district encompassed

and the states of

, as well as the

. This district lasted until 1975. From 1976 to 1978, the district only included Houston and Texas and from 1976, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas belonged to the

. The states of Kentucky and Tennessee were transferred to the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago. In 1979, these states reverted to the jurisdiction of the consulate general in Houston when it was reestablished. The district remained the same until 1981 when the consulate general was closed. From when the honorary consulate general opened in 1983 until at least 1988, the district consisted of Texas except for the city of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. In 2024, the district consisted of Houston,

South Texas South Texas is a geographic and cultural region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of th ...

, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Buildings

Chancery

The

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

was located in the Commerce Building, Houston, in 1950 before moving to 3602 Montrose Boulevard in the

- Montrose area in the same year. It remained here until 1954. From 1955, the address was a couple of hundred meters away at 3400 Montrose Boulevard in an office building. At least from 1964 to 1967, it was located in Suite 803 at the same address. The consulate remained at 3400 Montrose Boulevard until 1971/72 when it was converted into a trade commissioner office. From 1973 to 1975, the address was 4600 Post Oak Place Drive, Suite 100, in the Afton Oaks /

River Oaks River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael ...

area. Thereafter, it was only listed as P.O. Box 27459, Houston, Texas 77027, between 1976 and 1979. From 1980 until the closure of the consulate general in 1981, it was located at 17 South Briar Hollow Lane, Suite 400, around the corner from the consulate general's previous address in Afton Oaks / River Oaks. From 1983, the honorary consulate general was located in the same place as the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bellaire, at 6900 South Rice Avenue in

. From at least 1985 to at least 1988, it was located at the law firm of Liddell, Sapp, Zivley, Brown & LaBoon's office on the 34th floor of the Texas Commerce Towers. From at least 1990 to 1993, it was located in the NCNB Bank Building, 5123 Bellaire Boulevard in Bellaire, Texas. From 1994 to at least 1999, it was located at 2401 Fountainview Drive, Suite 510, in the Greater Uptown district of Houston. From at least 2005 to 2012, it was located at 2909 Hillcroft Street, Suite 515, in the Mid West neighborhood of Houston. During the summer of 2012, it moved to River Oaks Tower at 3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 805, in the Greenway /

Upper Kirby Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after Kirby Drive, so indirectly takes its name from John Henry Kirby. Upper Kirby contains many businesses, including restaurants. Upper Kirby is east of the ...

area. It remained there until at least 2016. It later moved to 1775 Saint James Place, Suite 105, in the Greater Uptown district of Houston.

Residence

From at least 1964 to 1968, the consul general's residence was located at 4640 Bryn Mawr Lane in the Afton Oaks neighborhood of Houston.

Heads of Mission

Footnotes

References

External links

* for the Honorary Consulate of Sweden, Houston {{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 1950 establishments in Texas 1981 disestablishments in Texas

History

Consulate

Consulate general

Final years and closure

Honorary consulate general and reopening

Tasks

District

Buildings

Chancery

Residence

Heads of Mission

See also

Footnotes

References

External links