The Consulate General of Sweden, Los Angeles 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 ...

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 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

between 1980 and 1995, as well as between 1998 and 2009. The consulate general had its origins in 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 1910, which was transformed into an honorary consulate in 1955 and an honorary consulate general in 1969. The main tasks of the consulate general were to disseminate information about Sweden and Swedish collaboration opportunities, promote business activities through various events, and handle consular matters (primarily passport and visa processing) and assistance to Swedish citizens in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

. Initially, the consular jurisdiction of the consulate general only covered the city of Los Angeles, but over time it expanded to include up to 13 states as other Swedish consulates general in the United States closed. The Swedish consulate general in Los Angeles closed for the second time in 2009. In 2021, Sweden reopened an honorary consulate in Los Angeles to, among other things, support Swedish citizens in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

with consular matters.

History

1910–1995

The Consulate General of Sweden in

originated from the

vice consulate opened in 1910 in Los Angeles, which was under the jurisdiction of the Swedish consulate (later the consulate general) in San Francisco. In April of the same year, the

Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister for Foreign Affairs () is the foreign minister of Sweden and the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Sweden), Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs is Maria Malmer Stenergard of the Moderate P ...

appointed Milton Carlson as vice consul in Los Angeles, under the consulate in San Francisco. In June 1954, the National Swedish Board of Trade recommended that the honorary vice consulate in Los Angeles be transformed into an honorary consulate. In August of the following year, the vice consulate was elevated to a consulate. On April 24, 1969, the honorary consulate was elevated to an honorary consulate general. The honorary consulate in Los Angeles was for several years under the authority of the Swedish consulate general in San Francisco, whose head was a salaried

career diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state, intergovernmental, or nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or international organizations. The main functions of diplomats a ...

appointed by 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 ...

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 ...

. After about four decades, roles were reversed. In 1980, Los Angeles became the seat for a career diplomat, and San Francisco was downgraded to a regular consulate two years later. In 1979, when the honorary consulate general in Los Angeles was planned to be transformed into a consulate general, the Ullsten cabinet appointed

Harry Schein Harry Leo Schein (13 October 1924 – 11 February 2006) was an Austrian-born Sweden, Swedish chemical engineer, writer and a major figure in Culture of Sweden, Swedish culture. Born in Vienna, Schein was a founder of the Swedish Film Institute an ...

, former CEO of the

Swedish Film Institute The Swedish Film Institute () (SFI) is a statutory body located in Stockholm, Sweden that supports the Swedish film industry. Founded in 1963, the institute is responsible for administering the annual Guldbagge Awards, and for managing the Swed ...

, as the new consul general in Los Angeles. Personnel from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs protested to Prime Minister Ullsten against the planned appointment, arguing that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs should not be a haven for ousted politicians and exhausted officials. Since September 1976, 45 percent of senior appointments had been made outside the foreign service. Foreign Minister

Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Blix wa ...

insisted on the intention to appoint Schein as consul general, stating that Schein had specific expertise in media and business, which would be valuable for a consul general in Los Angeles. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs' staff association (UPF) argued that Schein was highly unsuitable as consul general. Despite protests, Schein was appointed as the new consul general in Los Angeles from November 1, 1979. In early November 1979, Schein resigned from the position before he had settled into the role. Schein was reported to be tired of union criticism against him, tired of media writings, and tired of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs' "submission". In his place, career diplomat Olle Tunberg was appointed as the new consul general in January 1980. In August 1984, it was reported that, on the advice of the Chief of the

Beverly Hills Police Department The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) is the police department of the City of Beverly Hills, California. History The first law enforcement agency was formed shortly after the City of Beverly Hills was municipal corporation, incorporated i ...

, the consulate general replaced its alarm systems with a

guard dog A guard dog or watchdog is a dog used to watch for and guard people or property against unwanted human or animal intruders. A dog trained to attack intruders is known as an attack dog. History Dogs have been used as guardians since ancient ...

. The

German Shepherd The German Shepherd, also known in Britain as an Alsatian, is a German Dog breed, breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various Old German herding dogs, traditional German herding dog ...

named Orita had been exported from the National Swedish Dog Training Centre (''Statens hundskola'') in

Sollefteå Sollefteå () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Sollefteå Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. History The earliest written account on Sollefteå is found in a script dating back to 1270. During this time the name ...

to the consulate general in Los Angeles and was specially trained to identify terrorists and other unwelcome guests. On July 1, 1992, the Swedish Information Service in San Francisco which was located at the Honorary Consulate General of Sweden was integrated with the Swedish Consulate General in Los Angeles.

First closure (1995)

In the beginning of 1995, it was reported that the

had reduced budgets, and 11 percent was to be saved until 1998. By then, 15 foreign missions were to be closed, and among the ones threatened in 1995/96 was the consulate general in Los Angeles. Ultimately, the Los Angeles consulate had become too costly. It was estimated that the consulate cost SEK 13,000,000 per year. Personnel and housing costs were deemed excessively high. 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 ...

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard ( wɪɫ.ʃɚ is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica), Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue (Lo ...

and the residence on Foothill Avenue paid a combined rent of about $25,000 per month. Salaries for the approximately dozen staff members amounted to at least triple that amount. "Entertainment" and other expenses made up the rest of the costs. Demonstrations against the closure took place outside the consulate building on Wilshire Boulevard. Ambassador

Henrik Liljegren Henrik Liljegren () is a linguist and Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Stockholm University. He does fieldwork on languages of northern Pakistan, particularly the Hindukush–Karakoram region, and studies typology of and genetic relat ...

came from

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 ...

and spoke to the protesters, who carried signs, attracting attention. The ambassador "sympathized" with the demonstrators but couldn't do anything about it. Virtually all Swedish organizations in Los Angeles opposed the closure. It was generally believed that it would harm Swedish interests both "at home" and "abroad." The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles felt this particularly strongly. The fundamental question at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was whether it was right for a country like Sweden not to be represented on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...

. An internal investigation suggested, among other things, transforming Los Angeles into an honorary consulate and selling the house on 600

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a boulevard in New York City that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough (New York City), boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the wes ...

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 ...

. The Swedish presence in the United States had dramatically shrunk over the past decade. Two years prior, the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago had been closed. The proposed cuts meant that operations would be reduced by an additional 20 percent compared to the overall savings target of 11 percent. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs was to save 185 million kronor over the next three budget years, a decision made by the parliament in March 1995, and the savings meant that 15 Swedish embassies and consulates were to be closed by 1998. In February 1995, the Carlsson III cabinet decided to close the consulate general in Los Angeles by the mid-year. 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 ...

believed that the consulate general should remain open since it was the only mission left on the economically expanding U.S. West Coast.

Re-opening (1998)

The consulate general in Los Angeles was closed on June 30, 1995, after the parliament had tasked the Ministry for Foreign Affairs with saving 185 million kronor over three years. Two years later, the decision was made to reopen the consulate general. The new consulate general would focus on trade and the economy. The new consulate general had a budget of $460,000 and was funded not by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, but rather by funds earmarked to promote Sweden's economic growth. On March 26, 1998, the new Swedish consulate general was inaugurated. The new consulate general would have an entirely new focus with the explicit purpose of promoting Swedish export and industrial interests. The work that was previously carried out by the

Swedish Trade Council The Swedish Trade Council () was an organisation formed after a parliamentary decision July 1, 1972, in cooperation between the Government of Sweden and representatives from the Swedish business community, through the Swedish Foreign Trade Associat ...

, the Swedish Technical Attaché System (''Sveriges Tekniska Attachéer''), Invest in Sweden, and the Swedish Tourist Council (''Turistrådet''), scattered in various locations, was now consolidated under one umbrella, known as "Swedish Offices".

Second closure (2009)

In 2009, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs introduced a new cost-saving plan, aiming to close the consulate general in Los Angeles and 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 ...

. The closure of the consulate general in Los Angeles was to be completed by December 31, 2009. The

Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C. The Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., is Sweden's diplomatic mission in the United States. The Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., is one of Sweden's largest diplomatic missions with more than fifty employees. Since 2023, the ambassador has ...

became the supervisory authority for the nine honorary consulates that were previously under the jurisdiction of the consulate general in Los Angeles. Sweden opened an honorary consulate in Los Angeles, California on October 20, 2021.

Tasks

The primary tasks of the consulate general included spreading information about Sweden and collaboration opportunities, promoting business activities through the organization of various events, handling consular matters (mainly passport and visa processing), and providing assistance to Swedish citizens in the

. The consulate general focused on promoting industries such as biotechnology, IT, environmental technology, and the creative industries (film, music, and design). Close collaboration occurred with organizations like the

, Invest in Sweden Agency (ISA), the Swedish Institute For Growth Policy (''Institutet för tillväxtpolitiska studier'', ITPS), and the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce (SACC).

District

The consulate generals area of responsibility has changed over the years as other Swedish consulate generals have closed or been downgraded. Between 1977 and 1978, the responsibility covered the

City of Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3,878,704 residents within the city ...

and

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

. From 1979 to 1980, the consulate general was responsible for the City of Los Angeles and the counties of

San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

Kern Kern or KERN may refer to: People * Kern (surname), includes a list of people with the name * Kern (soldier), a light infantry unit in Medieval Irish armies Places * Kern, Alaska, a ghost town in Alaska * Kern, Austria, see Sankt Marienkir ...

, Santa Barbara,

, Ventura,

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

, Riverside, Imperial, and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Starting in 1981, it expanded to include the states of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. After the Swedish consulate general in San Francisco was downgraded to a consulate in 1982, the Los Angeles consulate general took over the entire state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

— except for the city of San Francisco and the counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara,

Alameda An alameda is a street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada * Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan ** Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile * Alameda (Santi ...

, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, and Marin — as well as the states of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, Hawaii,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. By 1984, the consulate in San Francisco had closed and been transformed into an honorary consulate. The consulate general in Los Angeles then covered the entire state of California and the states of Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington until 1989. In 1989, the Swedish consulate general 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 ...

closed, and from 1990, the consulate general in Los Angeles also included the states of

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 ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

. This district remained the same until the closure of the consulate general in Los Angeles in 1995.

Buildings

Chancery

From at least 1961 to 1971, the

was located in Suite 803 of the Wilflower Building at 615 South Flower Street in the

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies, and other related finance corporations have their headquarters offices. In major cities, financial districts often host ...

of Los Angeles. From 1972 to 1977, it was situated in Suite 402 at the same address. Between 1978 and 1984, the consulate general was located in Suite 304 at 10960

in Westwood. From 1985 to 1992, it was a few hundred meters away at 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 505. From 1993 to 1995, it was situated at 10990 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1100. When the consulate general was re-established in 1998, it was once again located at 10960 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 820, until 1999. From 2000 until the consulate general closed in 2009, it was situated at 10940 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700. Since 2021, the honorary consulate is located at 11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 270 in

West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped ...

Residence

The residence was located on Foothill Avenue. In 1983, it was reported that the annual rent for the residence in Los Angeles amounted to 632,000 SEK.

Heads of Mission

Footnotes

References

External links

* for the Honorary Consulate of Sweden, Los Angeles {{Diplomatic missions of Sweden

Sweden–United States relations 1980 establishments in California 1995 disestablishments in California 1998 establishments in California 2009 disestablishments in California