Ragnar Sohlman (February 26, 1870 – July 9, 1948) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

chemical engineer In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

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, and creator of the Nobel Foundation.

Biography

Ragnar Sohlman was born in Stockholm to August Sohlman, a well-known newspaper man, and his wife Hulda Maria Sandeberg. In 1887, he enrolled at the

KTH Royal Institute of Technology The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technol ...

in Stockholm and graduated as a chemical engineer in 1890. In 1893 Sohlman became the assistant of

Alfred Nobel Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize, though he also ...

in San Remo, and Nobel's will from 1895 named him and Rudolf Lilljequist as

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

s, with Sohlman expected to do most of the work. The will stated: The sum of 100,000 crowns was a very significant amount at the time, and made Sohlman a wealthy man. The amount can be compared to the prize amount of the first Nobel Prizes in 1901, 150,782 crowns each. After Alfred Nobel's death on December 10, 1896, Sohlman was occupied for several years with the task of realizing Nobel's intentions of establishing the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

. Since the will did not contain detailed regulations regarding selection of laureates and was contested by Nobel's relatives, the task kept Sohlman and his advisors occupied for several years. Sohlman was a member of the interim board of the Nobel Foundation. Sohlman also had a career as engineer and manager in Nobel-related companies, such as

Bofors AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years. History Located ...

. He was also the director general of the

Swedish National Board of Trade The National Board of Trade ( sv, Kommerskollegium, , "College of Commerce) is a government agency in Sweden that answers to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The agency is located in Stockholm. The National Board of Trade is dealing with foreign t ...

1935–1936. He was the executive director of the Nobel Foundation 1929–1946. In 1940, he was awarded the

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') ( English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gu ...

. Sohlman died at the Karolinska hospital in

Solna Solna Municipality ( sv, Solna kommun or , ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna is one of ...

in 1948. Solhman's son was a Swedish diplomat and his grandson Michael Sohlman is the present executive director of the Nobel Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sohlman, Ragnar 1870 births 1948 deaths Nobel Prize 20th-century Swedish engineers Swedish chemical engineers 20th-century Swedish businesspeople Engineers from Stockholm Recipients of the Illis quorum