Knut Agathon Wallenberg (19 May 1853 – 1 June 1938) was a Swedish

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, he was also a Knight of the

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the ...

. Wallenberg was Minister for Foreign Affairs 1914–1917, and member of the

Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...

's '' Första kammaren'' (the Upper house) 1907–1919. Together with his wife, he created Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, which is one of the main contributors to the private university

Stockholm School of Economics The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; , HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education progr ...

. Wallenberg was one of the founders of the Stockholm School of Economics, and is also seen as the founder of the community of

Saltsjöbaden Saltsjöbaden is a locality in Nacka Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,491 inhabitants in 2010. It is on the Baltic Sea coast, deep in the Stockholm Archipelago. History Saltsjöbaden () was developed as a resort by Knut Agathon W ...

and an associated railroad.

Early life

Wallenberg was born on 19 May 1853 in

Katarina Parish Katarina Parish () is a parish in Södermalm's church district (''kontrakt'') in the Diocese of Stockholm, Sweden. The parish is located in Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm County. The parish forms its own pastorship. History John III gave ...

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 ...

, the son of

André Oscar Wallenberg André Oscar Wallenberg (19 November 1816 – 12 January 1886) was a Swedish banker, industrialist, naval officer, newspaper tycoon, politician and a patriarch of the Wallenberg family. In 1856 Wallenberg founded the Stockholms Enskilda Bank, ...

(1816–1886) and his first wife Catharina Wilhelmina Andersson (1826–1855). He was the brother of Oscara (1847–1863), Jacob (1851–1872), and Wilhelm (1855–1910). He also had 14 half-siblings, including Gustaf (1863–1937), Marcus (1864–1943), and Victor (1875–1970).

Career

In 1874 Wallenberg was commissioned as a naval officer and became Acting Sub-Lieutenant (''Underlöjtnant'') in the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

the same year and joined the board of Stockholms Enskilda Bank. In 1876 he went to Georgiis' Banking Institution (''Georgiis bankinstitut''), and he was appointed lieutenant in the navy in 1876, from which he resigned in 1882. Wallenberg was then employed by the

Crédit Lyonnais The Crédit Lyonnais (, "Lyon Credit ompany) was a major French bank, created in 1863 and absorbed by former rival Crédit Agricole in 2003. Its head office was initially in Lyon but moved to Paris in 1882. In the early years of the 20th cen ...

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 1877 to 1878. After his father's death, Wallenberg, who has long been involved in the management of Stockholms Enskilda Bank, took over as the CEO. In many respects his father's spiritual heir, the company led by him became one of Sweden's foremost, which mediated the taking up of large government loans and other significant deals. He was also the driving force for many in the economic field, including in the creation of the residential community

near Stockholm and the railways connecting these places. From 1883 he belonged to the Stockholm City Council (''Stockholms stadsfullmäktige'') and from 1890 its Drafting Committee (''Beredningsutskottet'').

Personal life

In 1878 he married Alice Olga Constance Nickelsen (1858–1956). The couple adopted Jeanne Nyström (1885–1962), who was then two years old, in 1887 and she was named Nannie Wallenberg. She was born out of wedlock to Jean Karadja Pasha, and thus half-sister to

Constantin Karadja Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démétrius Karadja (24 November 1889 – 28 December 1950) was a Greeks in Romania, Greek-Romanian diplomat, barrister-at-law, bibliographer, bibliophile and honorary member (1946) of the Romanian Academy. He ...

Death

Wallenberg died on 1 June 1938 in Skeppsholm Parish, Stockholm.

Awards

Swedish

Knight and Commander of the Orders of His Majesty the King (Order of the Seraphim) (6 June 1916) * Order of the Seraphim - Ribbon bar

King Gustaf V's Jubilee Commemorative Medal (1928) * Order of the Vasa - Ribbon bar

Commander Grand Cross 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 ...

(24 January 1912) * Order of the Vasa - Ribbon bar

Commander First Class of the

(23 September 1897) * Commander First Class 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 ...

(15 October 1906) * Knight of the

(1890)

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

(between 1910 and 1915) * DNK Order of Danebrog Commander 1st Degree BAR

Commander First Class of the

(at the latest 1905) * Legion Honneur GC ribbon

Grand Cross 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 ...

(between 1910 and 1915) * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officer of the

(at the latest 1905) * St Olavs Orden storkors stripe

Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(between 1910 and 1915) * Commander First Class of the

(at the latest 1905) * Ord

Knight Second Class of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

with Star (between 1905 and 1908) * Knight Second Class 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 ...

with Star (at the latest 1905) * Second Class of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

(between 1905 and 1908)

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...

(1928) *Honorary member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other fine arts, it is one of seve ...

(1913) *Honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (1914)

References

Notes

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallenberg, Knut Agathon 1853 births 1938 deaths Ministers for foreign affairs of Sweden Members of the Första kammaren Swedish bankers Knut Agathon Swedish Navy officers Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences People from Stockholm

Early life

Career

Personal life

Death

Awards

Swedish

Foreign

Honours

See also

References

Notes

Print

Further reading

External links