Erik Boheman

Boheman was born on 19 January 1895 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Carl Boheman, an administrative officer, and his wife Ellen (née Abramson).^[3] His paternal grandfather was entomologist Carl Henrik Boheman. His nephew was actor Erland Josephson. His mother was Jewish.^[4] Boheman studied at the Stockholm University College and graduated in 1918 with a Candidate of Law degree.^[1]

In 1918, he was appointed attaché to the Swedish foreign mission in Paris, and the following year to London. In 1920, he got a permanent position at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and during the beginning of the 1930s he was Sweden's envoy to Istanbul, Sofia, Athens, Warsaw and Bucharest. In 1938, he was appointed State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and held that position during World War II, up until 1945. During the war he was also Sweden's envoy to Paris, so the Deputy State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Vilhelm Assarsson, had to step in as Acting Secretary on a number of occasions. He was appointed Ambassador of Sweden to the United Kingdom 1947–48, and Ambassador to the United States 1948–58. He was nominated for Secretary-General of the United Nations in the 1953 selection, but he declined the nomination.^[5] After World War II, Boheman falsely stated that "ignorant and over-diligent American economic spies" had "accused the Wallenberg group unjustly of having acted in collusion with the Germans" related to Bosch interests. In fact, this group helped cloak Nazi Germany's interests in the United States.^[6]

He was a member of the Riksdag 1959–1970 for the Liberal People's Party, the Gothenburg constituency, where he sat in the First Chamber of the then-bicameral Riksdag. He was Speaker of the First Chamber from 1965 until 1970, when the two Chambers merged into one.^[2]

Alongside his political mandates Boheman was also chairman of the board of directors of Saab Automobile (1958–1970),^[2] Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken and several other companies within the heavy industry sector.

Boheman was married from 1919 to 1927 to Countess Gunnila Wachtmeister (1899–1992), daughter of the university chancellor, Count Fredrik Wachtmeister, and Baroness Louise (af Ugglas). They had two children: Louise (1920–2013) and Carl Henrik (born 1924).^[3]

In 1932, Boheman married Margaret Mattsson (1904–2006), daughter of wholesaler Allan Mattsson and Karin (née Danielsson). They had two children: Monica (born 1933) and Carl Anders (born 1946).^[3]

Boheman is great-grandfather to actor Richard Ulfsäter.

Erik Boheman died on 18 September 1979 in Gränna, Sweden.

• Royal Order of the Seraphim (6 June 1968)^[7]
• Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (6 June 1941)^[8]
• Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Polar Star (15 November 1934)^[9]
• Knight of the Order of the Polar Star (1928)^[10]
• Commander Grand Cross of the Order of Vasa (30 June 1958)^[11]

• Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit^[3]
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog^[3]
• Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland^[3]
• Grand Cross of the Order of George I^[3]
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix^[3]
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy (20 October 1941)^[12]
• Sash of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (5 May 1949)^[13]
• Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau^[3]
• Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta^[3]
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Romania^[3]
• Grand Officer of the Order of Merit^[3]
• Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour^[3]
• Grand Officer of the Order of the Three Stars^[3]
• Commander 1st Class of the Order of Civil Merit^[3]
• Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire^[3]
• Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary^[3]
• Commander of the Order of the Crown^[3]