Ragnar Sohlman (February 26, 1870 – July 9, 1948) was a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
chemical engineer,
manager,
civil servant, and creator of the
Nobel Foundation.
Biography
Ragnar Sohlman was born in
Stockholm to August Sohlman, a well-known newspaper man, and his wife Hulda Maria Sandeberg. In 1887, he enrolled at the
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technolog ...
in Stockholm and graduated as a chemical engineer in 1890.
In 1893 Sohlman became the assistant of
Alfred Nobel in
San Remo, and Nobel's will from 1895 named him and
Rudolf Lilljequist as
executors, with Sohlman expected to do most of the work. The will stated:
The sum of 100,000
crowns was a very significant amount at the time, and made Sohlman a wealthy man. The amount can be compared to the prize amount of the first Nobel Prizes in 1901, 150,782 crowns each.
After Alfred Nobel's death on December 10, 1896, Sohlman was occupied for several years with the task of realizing Nobel's intentions of establishing the
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
. Since the will did not contain detailed regulations regarding selection of laureates and was contested by Nobel's relatives, the task kept Sohlman and his advisors occupied for several years. Sohlman was a member of the interim board of the Nobel Foundation.
Sohlman also had a career as engineer and manager in Nobel-related companies, such as
Bofors
AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years.
History
Located ...
. He was also the director general of the
Swedish National Board of Trade 1935–1936.
He was the executive director of the Nobel Foundation 1929–1946.
In 1940, he was awarded the
Illis quorum.
Sohlman died at the Karolinska hospital in
Solna
Solna Municipality ( sv, Solna kommun or , ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna is one of the ...
in 1948.
Solhman's son was a Swedish diplomat and his grandson
Michael Sohlman
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
is the present executive director of the Nobel Foundation.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sohlman, Ragnar
1870 births
1948 deaths
Nobel Prize
20th-century Swedish engineers
Swedish chemical engineers
20th-century Swedish businesspeople
Engineers from Stockholm
Recipients of the Illis quorum