Nils Gustaf Weidel, né Johnsson (7 March 1890 – 11 December 1959) was a Swedish gymnast who competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

and was later a diplomat.

Early life

Gustaf Weidel was born as Gustaf Johnsson on 7 March 1890 in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, Sweden as the son of police sergeant (''polisöverkonstapel'') Nils Johnsson and his wife Kersti Jönsson. Weidel passed ''mogenhetsexamen'' in Malmö in 1909 after passing in school in both Sweden and England. As a youngster Weidel was a gymnast and was part of the Swedish team at the

in London, which was able to win the gold medal in the gymnastics men's team event. He was enrolled as a student at

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 1909, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1910 and a

Candidate of Law Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

degree in 1914. It was during his time at the university that he changed his last name to Weidel. After this, he studied political economy in Germany and engaged in commercial activities, including working as the CEO of Continental Trading Company. During this time, he conducted an in-depth study of Sweden's trade relations with the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, as well as certain European countries such as France, England, and Spain, which he traveled through.

Career

In 1921, Weidel became employed by the Swedish

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 ...

as an acting vice consul. He was a commercial attaché and commercial counsellor in Washington, D.C. from 1922 to 1933. He was then consul general in New York City from 1933 to 1935 and Sweden's

envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of Diplomatic rank#Special envoy, diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an au ...

in Rio de Janeiro from 1936 to 1943 and in Lisbon from 1943 to 1951. Weidel was envoy in Cairo, also accredited to

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

and

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, from 1951 to 1955.

Personal life

In 1921, Weidel married Louise Pape (1892–1979), who was born in

Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in Appalachian Ohio, southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum River, Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia ...

, United States.

Death

He died on 11 December 1959 in

Haverford, Pennsylvania Haverford is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Lower Merio ...

, United States. He had been ill for an extended period under the care of Dr. S. L. Bartlett, who was the son of Mrs. Weidel from her previous marriage.

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 1955) * SWE_Order_of_Vasa_-_Knight_2nd_Class_BAR

Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

BRA - Order of the Southern Cross - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Southern Cross The National Order of the Southern Cross () is a Brazilian Orders, decorations, and medals of Brazil, order of chivalry founded by List of monarchs of Brazil, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, Pedro I on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate ...

Grand Cross of the

Military Order of Christ The Military Order of Christ is a Honorific orders of Portugal, Portuguese honorific order. It is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910, it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Chr ...

(27 May 1948) * Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest Order (honour), State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weidel, Gustaf 1890 births 1959 deaths Consuls-general for Sweden in New York City Ambassadors of Sweden to Brazil Ambassadors of Sweden to Portugal Ambassadors of Sweden to Egypt Ambassadors of Sweden to Lebanon Ambassadors of Sweden to Syria Swedish male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts for Sweden Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Swedish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Sportspeople from Malmö Commanders First Class of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Vasa