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Tord Hagen

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Tord Hagen
Hagen in October 1976
Born
Tord Bernhard Hagen

(1914-01-19)19 January 1914
Uppsala, Sweden
Died13 March 2008(2008-03-13) (aged 94)
Djursholm, Sweden
Other name"Bill"[1]
Alma materUppsala University
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1938–1994
Spouse(s)
Lena Berg
​
​
(m. 1937; div. 1964)​

Inga Lyrholm
​
(m. 1966)​
Children3, including Cecilia Hagen
RelativesEllen Hagen (mother)
Frida Stéenhoff (aunt)
Jonatan Unge (grandson)

Tord Bernhard Hagen (19 January 1914 – 13 March 2008) was a Swedish diplomat who had a long career in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. After joining the ministry in 1938, he served in early postings in Dublin and London before advancing through senior positions in Europe during the 1940s and 1950s, including in Ankara, Prague, Bonn, Luxembourg, and as head of Sweden's GATT delegation. He became ambassador in 1959, first to Thailand and concurrently to several Southeast Asian countries. He later held major posts in Cairo, The Hague, and Copenhagen, and also represented Sweden at the United Nations on several occasions. In the 1960s, he headed Sweden's international aid affairs at the Foreign Ministry. After retiring from diplomacy in 1980, he worked as a consultant for Volvo until 1994 and later published his memoirs in 2000.

Early life and education

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Hagen was born on 19 January 1914 in Uppsala, Sweden, the son of County Governor Robert Hagen [sv] (1868–1922) and his wife, the suffragist, women's rights activist, and politician Ellen Hagen (née Wadström).[2] His maternal grandfather was the priest, author, and collector Bernhard Wadström [sv] (1831–1918), and his great-grandfather on his mother's side was the civil servant, poet, and translator Carl Gustaf Wadström [sv] (1787–1841). His aunt was the writer and women's rights activist Frida Stéenhoff (1865–1945). He also had an older sister, Helga (1904–1968).

Hagen completed his studentexamen in Djursholm in 1931, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Uppsala University in 1934, and received a Candidate of Law degree in 1937.[3] During his years at university, he acquired the nickname "Bill," after the cat character in Peter-No-Tail by Gösta Knutsson; the character "Bull" referred to his future Foreign Ministry colleague Olof Rydbeck.[1]

Career

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After graduating from university, Hagen pursued a diplomatic career by joining the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs as an attaché in 1938.[3] He served in Dublin in 1939 and later the same year in London. In 1943 he became acting second secretary at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, was formally appointed second secretary in 1944, and became an extra first secretary in 1946. He served as acting first legation secretary in Ankara in 1946 and was formally appointed in 1948. The same year, he became first embassy secretary in Prague. Hagen was appointed first secretary at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1951, first embassy secretary in Bonn in 1953, and permanent representative with the rank of legation councillor to the delegation at the European Coal and Steel Community in Luxembourg in 1956. He became trade counsellor in Bonn in 1957, after serving in an acting capacity from 1956, and chaired the Swedish delegation to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) from 1957 to 1959.[2]

Hagen received his first ambassadorial appointment when he was tasked with establishing a new Swedish embassy in Bangkok. He spent five years in Southeast Asia, serving as ambassador to Thailand from 1959 to 1964. At the same time, he was concurrently accredited as Sweden's first ambassador to Rangoon from 1959, to Saigon from 1960, and to Phnom Penh from 1961.[3] He also served as deputy representative to the United Nations General Assembly in 1963.[2]

In 1964, Hagen became director-general (utrikesråd) and head of international aid affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He was appointed ambassador to Cairo in 1966, with concurrent accreditation to Khartoum and Mogadishu in 1967.[2] During his time in Egypt, he witnessed, among other events, the death and state funeral of Gamal Abdel Nasser.[4]

Hagen served as ambassador to The Hague from 1972 to 1977.[2] On 25 March 1974, Dutch police announced that they had uncovered a conspiracy to kidnap him. The plan was to hold Hagen hostage in order to force the release of the West German drug smuggler Karl Pauksch [sv] from Kumla Prison in Sweden. The extortion plot had become known to authorities two to three weeks earlier, and Hagen was periodically placed under special protection by Dutch police.[5] During his posting in the Netherlands, he also managed the state visit of Carl XVI Gustaf in October 1976[6] and dealt with the aftermath of the Hotel Polen fire in May 1977, in which many Swedes lost their lives.[7]

He later served as ambassador to Copenhagen from 1977 to 1980 and again as deputy representative to the United Nations General Assembly in 1980. From 1980 to 1994, he worked as a consultant for Volvo International Development Corporation.[2] After completing his work with Volvo, Hagen began writing his memoirs, which resulted in the 2000 publication of Ett liv i krig och fred: en diplomats minnen ("A Life in War and Peace: Memoirs of a Diplomat").[8]

In June 1995, Hagen appeared in the BBC2 documentary Myths and Memories of World War II, discussing the possibility of a peace treaty between Britain and Germany in 1940.[9]

Personal life

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From 1937 to 1964, Hagen was married to Lena Berg (born 1913), daughter of the archivist Tor Berg [sv] and Greta Bonnier.[2][3] They had two children: Robert (1944–1991) and Cecilia (born 1946).[3][10]

In 1966, Hagen married his second wife Inga Lyrholm, the daughter of Torsten Lyrholm and Stina (née Klintberg).[2] They had one son (born 1969).[11]

Death

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Hagen died on 13 March 2008 in Djursholm.[12] The funeral service was held on 16 April 2008 in Danderyd Church [sv] in Danderyd.[13] He was interred on 30 May 2008 at the Uppsala Old Cemetery in his hometown of Uppsala.[14]

Awards and decorations

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Swedish

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Foreign

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Bibliography

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  • Hagen, Tord (2000). Ett liv i krig och fred: en diplomats minnen [A life in war and peace: memoirs of a diplomat] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Carlsson. ISBN 9172039647. SELIBR 7622532.

References

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  1. 1 2 Rösiö, Bengt (28 March 2008). "Tord Hagen". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 33. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 430. ISBN 9172850426. SELIBR 8261515.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 1, Stor–Stockholm (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. pp. 489–490. SELIBR 53509.
  4. ↑ "Miljoner sörjande väntas till Nassers begravning" [Millions of mourners expected for Nasser's funeral]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). No. 266. 1 October 1970. p. 1. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Olsson, Sune (26 March 1974). "Svensk ambassadör skulle bli gisslan: Knarkkung på Kumla lovar befriare 1,5 milj" [Swedish ambassador to be held hostage: Drug kingpin in Kumla promises 1.5 million for liberators]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 24. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  6. ↑ Wik-Thorsell, Anna Lena (26 October 1976). "Glad och avspänd drottning i debut på holländsk mark" [Happy and relaxed queen in debut on Dutch soil]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Amsterdam. p. 4. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Magnergård, Omar (11 May 1977). "Tidsödande identifieringsarbete: Svenskar beredda resa till Holland" [Time-consuming identification work: Swedes prepared to travel to Holland]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 5. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Hagen, Tord (2000). Ett liv i krig och fred: en diplomats minnen [A life in war and peace: memoirs of a diplomat] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Carlsson. ISBN 9172039647. SELIBR 7622532.
  9. ↑ Clark, Alan (June 1995). Myths and Memories of World War II (Television production). BBC2. Event occurs at 6:31. Retrieved 13 May 2026 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Rabenius, Barbro (27 October 2008). "Cecilia Hagen: Det är vi kvinnor över 60 som är bäst" [Cecilia Hagen: We women over 60 are the best]. Hemtrevligt (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Födde" [Newborns]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 11 July 1969. p. 2a. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Sveriges dödbok 1901-2009 [Swedish death index 1901-2009] (in Swedish) (Version 5.0 ed.). Solna: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. 2010. ISBN 9789187676598. SELIBR 11931231.
  13. ↑ "Döda" [Deaths]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 19 March 2008. p. 30. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "Hagen, Tord Bernhard". svenskagravar.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Matriklar (D 1)" [Directory (D 1)]. Kungl. Maj:ts Ordens arkiv (in Swedish). Royal Court of Sweden. 1970–1979. p. 193. Retrieved 12 May 2026 – via National Archives of Sweden.
  16. ↑ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 166.
  17. ↑ Sveriges statskalender 1965 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1965. p. 185.
  18. ↑ "Ordensregn" [Rain of orders]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 23 September 1960. p. A15. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
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