Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Carl Axel Fredrik ''Ivar'' Holmquist (22 February 1879 – 24 September 1954) was a senior

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer and sports official. He was president of the

International Ski Federation The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS (), is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. It was previously known as the International Ski Federation () until 26 May 2022 when the name was cha ...

from 1924 to 1934 and served as Chief of the Swedish Army during

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 ...

. Holmquist, embarked on a career spanning from his commissioning in 1899 to his tenure as Chief of the Army from 1940 to 1944. Notable milestones include his service in various roles within the Royal Swedish Army Staff College and his command of the Norrbotten Regiment and the Northern Army Division. Rising through the ranks, he attained the position of lieutenant general in 1940. Beyond his military career, Holmquist was deeply involved in sports administration, particularly skiing. He co-founded the

(FIS) and served as its inaugural president from 1924 to 1934. Additionally, he played pivotal roles in promoting cross-country skiing in Sweden and advocating for alpine skiing's introduction in the country. His leadership extended to chairing organizations like the Association for the Promotion of Cross-country Skiing in Sweden and the Norrbotten Landstorm Association. Holmquist's legacy endures through his significant contributions to both the military and sports domains.

Early life

Holmquist was born on 22 February 1879 in

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...

, Sweden, the son of lieutenant general Fredrik Holmquist and his wife Baroness Cecilia Raab.

Career

Military career

Holmquist was commissioned as an officer and second lieutenant in 1899 and was assigned to Göta Life Guards (I 2) where he became lieutenant in 1903. Holmquist attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1902 and 1904 and the Firing School in 1904. Holmquist was a cadet of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

from 1905 to 1907, staff adjutant and lieutenant of the General Staff in 1908 and conducted a field trip in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

the same year. He was a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College from 1911 to 1917 and captain of the General Staff in 1912. Holmquist was ordered to the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

in 1912 and was captain of the Göta Life Guards in 1917. In 1918, Holmquist was chief of staff of the

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

detachment and in 1918 and 1919 Holmquist was secretary of the negotiations regarding the demolition of Åland's fortifications. He was staff adjutant and captain of the General Staff in 1919, chief adjutant and major there in 1919 and attended the War College in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

from 1920 to 1920. Holmquist was an expert at the negotiations of the

Åland crisis Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

at the Council of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

at the Commission of Jurists in Paris and the conference in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

in 1921. He was a teacher at the tactical course for captains and cavalry captains in 1921, 1924 and 1925. Holmquist was a teacher at the winter course for officers in 1923 and was head of the same from 1928 to 1930. Holmquist was a major of the Göta Life Guards in 1924, became lieutenant colonel in 1925 and was appointed colonel and commander of Norrbotten Regiment (I 19) in 1928 and brigade commander of the Northern Army Division in 1934. He was promoted to major general in the

in 1935 and was appointed a commander of the II. Army Division in 1937 before being promoted to lieutenant general in 1940. Holmquist was then Chief of the Army from 1940 to 1944.

Other work

Holmquist was the Swedish Army's representative at the military skiing competition in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

in 1930, chairman of the Association for the Promotion of Cross-country Skiing in Sweden, vice chairman of the Swedish Ski Association, chairman of the Norrbotten Landstorm Association, president of the

from 1924 to 1934 and honorary chairman from 1934. As a sports official, Holmquist was a co-founder of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and he became its first president during the period 1924 to 1934. Since 1900 he was a board member of the Association for Ski Promotion (''Skidfrämjandets'', now the Swedish Outdoor Association, ''Friluftsfrämjandet'') where he became a long and successful chairman during the years 1923-1950. As such, he was automatically also the vice-president of the Swedish Ski Association (1923–1946). Holmquist worked to introduce

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...

in Sweden and was the initiator for the Association for Ski Promotion's facilities in Storlien and Riksgränsen.

Personal life

Holmquist was in his first marriage 1904–1920 married to Thora Nygren (born 1883), daughter of the pharmacist Gottfrid Nygren and Augusta Lyon. They were the parents of Bengt Holmquist (1907–1992). He was in his second marriage 1924–1936 married to Mary Hammarberg (born 1880), daughter of merchant James Hammarberg and Mina Evers. He married for the third time in 1936 with Astrid Minda Bäckström (born 1899), daughter of professor Helge Bäckström and singer Ragnhild Juell.

Dates of rank

*8 December 1899 – ''

Underlöjtnant ''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word '' Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 19 ...

'' *26 June 1903 – Lieutenant 2nd Class *1 February 1907 – Lieutenant 1st Class *25 June 1912 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(General Staff) *18 July 1913 – Captain 1st Class (General Staff) *24 January 1914 –

*5 September 1916 – Captain 2nd Class *1 January 1917 – Captain 1st Class *31 December 1919 –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*17 April 1925 – Lieutenant colonel *20 May 1927 –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

*13 December 1935 – Major general *1 October 1940 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (15 November 1940) * 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 ...

(1918) * Swedish Military Sports Association's Prize Medal in Gold (''Sveriges militära idrottsförbunds prismedalj i guld'') * Association for the Promotion of Cross-country skiing in Sweden's gold medal (''Föreningens för skidlöpningens främjande i Sveriges guldmedalj'') * Swedish Gymnastic and Sports Clubs' Association's gold medal (''Svenska gymnastik- och idrottsföreningarnas riksförbunds guldmedalj'')

Foreign

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty (; ) is one of three official state Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The awards of the Order of the Cross of Liberty ...

with swords and crown * Legion_Honneur_Commandeur_ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

Commander 2nd Class of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

* Commander 2nd Class of the

Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the Austrian national honours system. History The Decoration of Hono ...

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight of the 1st Class 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 ...

* 3rd Class Knight of the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

Honours

*Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences

References

External links

Entry
in '' Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmquist, Ivar 1879 births 1954 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals Chiefs of Army (Sweden) Swedish sports executives and administrators People from Helsingborg International Ski and Snowboard Federation executives Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences