Einar Modig (28 November 1883 – 10 March 1960) was a Swedish diplomat. After graduating from Uppsala University in 1907, Moding joined the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He served eight years in South America as envoy in various country and during World War II, Moding served as Swedish envoy in Ankara and Athens. After the war, he served as envoy in Brussels and Luxembourg City.

Einar Modig
Modig on the cover of Hvar-8-Dag no. 9, 1931.
Born(1883-11-28)28 November 1883
Stockholm, Sweden
Died10 March 1960(1960-03-10) (aged 76)
Stockholm, Sweden
Alma materUppsala University
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1907–1954
Spouse
Maina Tanninen
(m. 1911⁠–⁠1960)
Children3

Early life

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Modig was born on 28 November 1883 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Otto Walfrid Modig, an accountant, and his wife Maria Fredrika Lovisa Landgren. He passed mogenhetsexamen at Nya Elementarskolan in Stockholm on 15 May 1901 and enrolled at Uppsala University the same year.[1] Modig received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Uppsala University in 1903, a Licentiate of Philosophy degree in 1905 and a Candidate of Law degree in 1907 before becoming an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs the same year.[2]

Career

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Modig served as attaché in Kristiania in 1907 and in Antwerp and Berlin in 1908. He was back in Sweden serving as a second secretary at the Foreign Ministry in 1910.[1] He was acting secretary in the National Board of Trade from 1911 to 1914. He was secretary in the trade council in 1912 and secretary in the National Board of Trade from 1913 to 1914 and secretary of the board of directors of the 1915 exhibition in San Francisco from 1913 to 1915.[2]

He was extra rapporteur in the Ministry of Finance from 1914 to 1915 and a member of the State Trade Commission in 1915 as well as vice CEO of Sydsvenska kreditaktiebolaget in 1916 and vice CEO and board member of the Nordiska Kompaniet from 1916 to 1922.[2] Modig was then chairman of the Service Commission of the Swedish Customs Service from 1922 to 1924 and had assignments in Europe and United States for Grängesbergsbolaget from 1925 to 1926. He was Sweden's representative at the diplomatic conference on the suspension of import and export bans in Geneva from 1927 to 1928 and chairman of the board of the merchant navy pension institution (Handelsflottans pensionsanstalt). Modig was also chairman of the Baltic freight transport conference in Stockholm in 1929.[2] Modig was State Secretary and Director-General for Administrative Affairs in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry from 1926 to 1930. He was then envoy in Lima from 1931 to 1934 and at the same time non-resident envoy in La Paz, Quito, Bogotá and Caracas.[2]

Modig was envoy in Buenos Aires and at the same time non-resident envoy in Santiago, Montevideo and Asunción from 1934 to 1939[1] and was he chairman of the 1939 Trade Commission from 1939 to 1941 and in the Swedish delegation in trade negotiations with Italy in 1940.[2] He was then envoy in Ankara and non-resident envoy Athens from 1939 to 1945 but he didn't take office until 1941.[1] Modig was envoy in Brussels from 1945 to 1948 and as non-resident envoy in Luxembourg City from 1946 to 1948 and then served at the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm. He was chairman of the delegation in trade negotiations with the Soviet Union with several countries from 1948, chairman and head of the Foreign Capital Control Office (Flyktkapitalbyrån) from 1945 to 1946 and chairman of the committee of the Chicago Fair in 1949. Modig was a board member of the Jungnerbolagen from 1948, chairman there in 1952 and was chairman of the Exports Association (Exportföringen) study delegation in Africa from 1952 to 1953 and in Colombia in 1954.[3]

Personal life

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In 1911 he married Maina Tanninen (1892–1984), the daughter of the wholesaler Max Tanninen and Maria Makowski.[3] Their son, Jan-Otto Modig (1914–2005), was CEO of Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå and vice CEO of Sveriges Radio.[4]

Death

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Modig died on 10 March 1960 in Stockholm[1] and was buried on 6 May 1960 at Norra begravningsplatsen in Stockholm.[5]

Awards and decorations

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Modig's awards:[6]

Bibliography

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  • Modig, Einar (1954). Diplomattjänst med mellanspel: en memoarbok [Diplomatic Service with interludes: a memoir] (in Swedish). Stockholm. SELIBR 127847.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Rockberger, Nicolaus (1985–1987). "Einar Modig". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 25. National Archives of Sweden. p. 600. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1945 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1945] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1945. p. 753. SELIBR 8261511.
  3. ^ a b Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1956). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1957 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1957] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 677.
  4. ^ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1981 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1981] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1980. p. 729. ISBN 91-1-805012-3. SELIBR 3681525.
  5. ^ "Modig, EINAR" (in Swedish). Svenskagravar.se. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  6. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1955 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 51.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
None
Envoy of Sweden to Peru
1931–1934
Succeeded by
Vilhelm Assarsson
Preceded by
None
Envoy of Sweden to Bolivia
1931–1934
Succeeded by
Vilhelm Assarsson
Preceded by
None
Envoy of Sweden to Colombia
1931–1934
Succeeded by
Vilhelm Assarsson
Preceded by
None
Envoy of Sweden to Ecuador
1931–1934
Succeeded by
Vilhelm Assarsson
Preceded by
None
Envoy of Sweden to Venezuela
1931–1934
Succeeded by
Vilhelm Assarsson
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Argentina
1934–1939
Succeeded by
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Chile
1934–1939
Succeeded by
Axel Paulin
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Paraguay
1934–1939
Succeeded by
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Uruguay
1934–1939
Succeeded by
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Turkey
1939–1945
Succeeded by
Eric von Post
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Greece
1939–1945
Succeeded by
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Belgium
1945–1948
Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld
Preceded by Envoy of Sweden to Luxembourg
1946–1948
Succeeded by
Gunnar Reuterskiöld