Baron Israël Karl-Gustav "K-G" Eugène Lagerfelt (21 November 1909 – 11 December 1986) 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 ...

Early life

Lagerfelt was born on 21 November 1909 in

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat o ...

, Sweden, the son of Captain, Baron Gustaf Adolf Lagerfelt and Baroness Gertrud (née von Essen). He received a Candidate of Law degree in 1932 and a Bachelor of Arts in 1935 before becoming an attaché at the

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 ...

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 ...

in 1935.

Career

Lagerfelt served in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

in 1936 and in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1938 as well as at the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm in 1938. He was second secretary in 1939 and first secretary at the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm in 1943. Lagerfelt was first secretary in London in 1943 and 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 ...

in 1947 as well as at the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm in 1948. He was director at the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm in 1950 (acting in 1948). Lagerfelt was diplomatic representative in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 1951 and envoy in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

from 1952 to 1956 during the time of the case of ''

Sweden v. Yamaguchi ''Sweden v. Yamaguchi'', otherwise known as ''in the matter of Marianne Wilson'', or ''in the matter of Mary Ann Vaughn'', is a highly complex decision in international family law which touches on questions in law still unresolved over fifty years ...

''. He then served as the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

from 1956 to 1963, the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council of Europe from 1957 to 1963, and to the European Atomic Energy Community as well as the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

from 1959 to 1963. Lagerfelt was ambassador in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

from 1964 to 1969 and in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

from 1969 to 1972. He was

Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in Geneva The Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva is the head of the Permanent Mission of Sweden in Geneva () which represents Sweden at the United Nations Office at Geneva and other in ...

from 1972 to 1975 and was chairman of the council of the

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the United Nations General Assembl ...

from 1976 to 1977. Lagerfelt was consultant at the Volvo International Development Corporation from 1978 to 1979 and was chairman of the parliamentary

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...

investigations from 1980 to 1982. He was also deputy counsel and expert in the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

in 1967, 1976 and 1977.

Personal life

In 1947 Lagerfelt married Sara Champion de Crespigny (1914–1967), the daughter of the British major Vierville Champion de Crespigny and Nora (née McSloy). In 1974 he married Monique Suetens (1932–2010), the daughter of the Belgian director Albert Suetens and Madeleine (née Limpens). Lagerfelt was the father of Caroline (born 1947) and Johan (born 1949). Lagerfelt was the owner of the mansion Säbylund in

Kumla Municipality Kumla Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Örebro County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the stad (Sweden), city of Kumla. The present municipality was formed during the latest nationwide local government refo ...

until his son Johan bought the property in 1970.

Death

Lagerfelt died on 11 December 1986 and was buried at Kumla Cemetery in

Kumla Kumla is a locality and the seat of Kumla Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with a population of 21,640 as of 2018. Geography Kumla is situated roughly 15 kilometres south of neighbouring city Örebro, and is connected to its much larger nei ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

* Knight 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 ...

* Knight of the

Order of Saint John in Sweden The Order of Saint John in Sweden ( ) is a Protestant chivalric order. It is a member of the Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem. It was founded in 1920 in Stockholm, Sweden, as an affiliate of the German Bailiwick of Brandenbu ...

Foreign

* First Class of the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

FIN_Order_of_the_Lion_of_Finland_2Class_BAR

Commander First Class of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

* Commander of the

Hungarian Order of Merit The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest 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 Merit of the K ...

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Knight_1st_Class_BAR

Knight First 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 ...

Knight 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 ...

Honours

*Former Herald of Orders of His Majesty the King (''Kungl. Maj:ts Orden'').

Bibliography

References

External links

List of GATT representatives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lagerfelt, Karl-Gustav 1909 births 1986 deaths Swedish barons Ambassadors of Sweden to Japan Ambassadors of Sweden to Austria Ambassadors of Sweden to the Netherlands Permanent representatives of Sweden to the Council of Europe Permanent representatives of Sweden to the United Nations Office at Geneva People from Jönköping Knights of the Order of the Polar Star