Klas Erik Böök (10 March 1909 – 5 January 1980) was a Swedish

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and public servant who served as Governor of the Swedish National Bank from 1948 to 1951 and was Swedish ambassador in various countries between 1951 and 1972.

Early life

Böök was born on 10 March 1909 in

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, Sweden, the son of professor Fredrik Böök and his wife Tora (née Olsson). He received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

in 1934 and studied at

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

in 1935 and received a Licentiate of Philosophy degree from Lund University in 1936.

Career

Böök became lieutenant at

Wendes Artillery Regiment The Wendes Artillery Regiment (), designation A 3, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from Scania, where it was garrisoned. The unit was disban ...

's (A 3) reserve in 1935 and was hired by the Swedish National Bank in 1936 where he became secretary in 1937. He was acting bank advisor and head of the Statistics Department in 1940. Böök was deputy director of the Foreign Exchange Control Office (''Valutakontoret'') in 1940, was a director there in 1947 and chairman from 1948 to 1951. He was a member of the National Export Credits Guarantee Board in 1943 and deputy chairman from 1947 to 1951. Böök was bank director and head of the II section (central bank issues) within the Swedish National Bank in 1943 and was governor of the bank from 1948 to 1951 (vice governor in 1944). His diplomatic career began when he was appointed head of the Commercial Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and envoy from 1947 to 1948. He was minister in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

from 1951 to 1956, ambassador in Beijing from 1956 to 1961, also accredited as envoy to

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

from 1956 to 1959. Böök was ambassador in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, also accredited to

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

and

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

from 1961 to 1965 and in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

from 1965 to 1972. He had special assignments for the Foreign Ministry from 1972 to 1975. Böök was a member of the Trade Commission from 1944 to 1947 and was the deputy chairman from 1945 to 1947. He was a member of the National Reconstruction Board (''Statens återuppbyggnadsnämnd'') from 1944 to 1946 and the Foreign Capital Control Office Board (''Flyktkapitalbyråns styrelse'') from 1945 to 1951. Böök was also member of the board of an international bank in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

from 1949 to 1951, the

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States; it is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers lo ...

from 1951 to 1952, the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

in 1951 and the Postal Savings Bank Council (''Postsparbanksfullmäktige'') from 1949 to 1951. Böök was participant in the negotiations on trade and payment agreements.

Personal life

In 1933, Böök married Aina Hakon-Pettersson (1911–1997), the daughter of engineer Erik Hakon-Pettersson and Julia (née Ekelund). He was the father Annika (married Eriksson), Ole, Kim, Susanne (married Francke) and Peter.

Death

Böök died in 1980 and was buried at Östra Karup Cemetery in

Östra Karup Östra Karup () is a locality situated in Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway ...

Awards

* Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Commander_BAR

Commander of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

* Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

Bibliography

References

External links

Oral History Interview with Klas E. Böök
{{DEFAULTSORT:Book, Klas 1909 births 1980 deaths Ambassadors of Sweden to Canada Ambassadors of Sweden to China Ambassadors of Sweden to Thailand Ambassadors of Sweden to India Ambassadors of Sweden to Sri Lanka Ambassadors of Sweden to Nepal Ambassadors of Sweden to Switzerland Governors of Sveriges Riksbank Lund University alumni Diplomats from Lund Commanders First Class of the Order of the Polar Star Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog