Carl Gustaf Ingemar Hellquist (4 September 1896 – 21 December 1973) was a Swedish jurist who served as a Justice of the

Supreme Court of Sweden The Supreme Court of Sweden (, HD) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, and wit ...

for 20 years, including five years as its president until his retirement in 1963. Before joining the Supreme Court, he had a distinguished career in law, including serving as state secretary during the early years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where he played a key role in legislative matters. Known for his exceptional ability to collaborate and his commitment to clear legal language, Hellquist was also deeply involved in other significant legal and social responsibilities, such as chairing the Youth Prison Board.

Early life

Hellquist was born on 4 September 1896 in

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

, Sweden, the son of Professor

Elof Hellquist Gustaf Elof Hellquist (1864–1933) was a Swedes, Swedish linguist. He was professor of Nordic languages at Lund University between 1914 and 1929 and authored the standard work ''Swedish Etymological Dictionary''. Biography Elof Hellquist was ...

and his wife Ingrid Zetterström. He was the brother of district judge . He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' in

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 ...

in 1914 and the

reserve officer A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional m ...

examination in 1916, and served as a reserve officer in the

Halland Regiment The Halland Regiment (), designations I 16 and I 16/Fo 31, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Västergötland and Dalsland, ...

from 1916 to 1923. Hellquist received a Bachelor of Arts 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 1918, and a Candidate of Law degree in 1922.

Career

After completing his service as a court clerk from 1922 to 1925, Hellquist entered service at the

Scania and Blekinge Court of Appeal The Scania and Blekinge Court of Appeal () is one of the six appellate courts An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered ...

, where he served from 1925 to 1929 as an extra legal clerk (''fiskal'') and adjunct member, and was an assessor from 1929 to 1936, and a Court of Appeal judge from 1936 to 1937. However, he left active service at the Court of Appeal as early as 1932 to assist with the preparation of legislative matters in the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

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 ...

, a task that lasted until 1935, with only a brief interruption for a short-term appointment as judge referee in 1933. At the same time, he also held several appointments as a rapporteur in the Council on Legislation. From 1935 to 1939, Hellquist was the head of the legislative affairs division (chief of the Criminal Law Office (''straffrättsbyrån'')) in the Ministry of Justice. He served as a regular judge referee from 1937 to 1943 and acted as director-general for administrative affairs (''expeditionschef'') in the Ministry of Justice in 1939. From 1939 to 1943, he was state secretary in the same ministry, a demanding role, especially given the extensive and urgent legislative activity during the first years of

. In addition to his departmental duties, Hellquist was engaged in several other legislative assignments. For example, he was a member of a 1935 committee investigating the revision of the penal code for the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces (, literally ''Defence Force'') are the Military, armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. It consists of four separate military branches, the Swedish Army, the Swedish Navy, the Swedish Air Force and the Home Guard (Swed ...

. He served from 1936 to 1939 as an alternate for the Swedish Ombudsman for Military Affairs (''Militieombudsmannen'') and was the chairman of the Swedish Internment Board (''Interneringsnämnden'') from 1942 to 1943, as well as the chairman of the Swedish Youth Correctional Board (''Ungdomsfängelsenämnden'') from 1946 to 1958. Hellquist was appointed Justice of the

in 1943, a position he held until 1963, and served as President of the Supreme Court of Sweden from 1958 until his retirement in 1963. He was also the editor of (Division II) from 1949 to 1955 and, from 1955 onward, the publisher of (The Law of the Realm of Sweden).

Personal life

In 1923, Hellquist married Gertrud Bagge (1898), the daughter of the lawyer Otto Bagge and Lillie Bergh. They had three children: Lena (born 1925), Lilli-Marie (born 1928), and Gustaf (born 1934).

Death

Hellquist died on 21 December 1973 in

, Sweden. The funeral service was held on 28 December 1973 at

Adolf Fredrik Church Adolf Fredrik Church () is a church in central Stockholm, Sweden, named after Adolf Frederick. It was built in 1768–1774, replacing a wooden chapel from 1674, which was dedicated to Saint Olof. It was inaugurated on 27 November 1774. Its ce ...

Awards and decorations

* Commander Grand Cross 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 ...

(6 June 1953) * Commander 1st Class the

(15 November 1945) * Commander of the

(15 November 1941) * Knight of the

(1937)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellquist, Carl Gustaf 1896 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Swedish lawyers Presidents of the Supreme Court of Sweden Lund University alumni People from Lund Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star