Gösta Engzell
Gösta Engzell | |
|---|---|
Engzell (right) with Finnish architects Alvar Aalto and Elissa Aalto at the Finnish Independence Day reception in the Presidential palace in Helsinki on 6 December 1959 | |
| Envoy/Ambassador of Sweden to Finland | |
| In office 1954–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Otto Johansson |
| Succeeded by | Ingemar Hägglöf |
| Envoy of Sweden to Poland | |
| In office 1949–1951 | |
| Preceded by | Claes Westring |
| Succeeded by | Eric von Post |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 February 1897 Halmstad, Sweden |
| Died | 7 March 1997 (aged 100) Djursholm, Sweden |
| Spouse |
Anna Ehrenkrona (m. 1927) |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Stockholm University College |
Gösta Engzell (14 February 1897 – 7 March 1997) was a Swedish jurist and diplomat who is known for his activities to rescue Jews during World War II. He was the ambassador of Sweden to Finland between 1954 and 1963 and served in other diplomatic posts.
Early life
Engzell was born on 14 February 1897 in Halmstad, Sweden, the son of Carl Nilson, a postmaster, and his wife Amy Engzell. He passed studentexamen in Skövde in 1915 and received a Candidate of Law degree from Stockholm University College in 1919.[1]
Career
Engzell began his career with district court service in the Vartofta and Frökind Judicial District from 1920 to 1922. He was appointed assessor at the Göta Court of Appeal in 1926, served as an extra legal clerk (fiskal) in 1929, and became a hovrättsråd in 1933. From 1931 he acted as judge referee, a position he formally assumed in 1936. He also held senior administrative posts, serving as acting Director-General for Administrative Affairs (expeditionschef) in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 1932 and in the Ministry of Finance in 1936. In 1938, he was appointed director-general (utrikesråd) and Head of the Legal Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.[1]
The department was in charge of all visa and immigration issues.[2] Shortly after his appointment Engzell represented Sweden in the Évian Conference held at Évian-les-Bains, France, between 6 and 15 July 1938 to address the problem of German and Austrian Jewish refugees.[3]
Engzell was made an envoy in 1947.[4] He was the envoy of Sweden in Poland from 1949 to 1951.[4] He held the same post in Finland between 1951 and 1954.[4][5] Then he was named as the ambassador of Sweden from 1954 until 1963.[4][5]
Rescuing Jews during World War II
In the late 1930s Engzell and the Swedish government did not have a special interest in Jews who had to flee Nazi Germany and did not make any attempt to facilitate the entry of Jews to Sweden without a Swedish visa or to help them acquire such a visa.[2] His department at the Ministry was instructed to avoid allowing Jews entry.[2]
On 7 September 1942, a Latvian refugee named Gillel Storch met Gösta Engzell and informed him about the increasingly negative conditions of Jews in the German-occupied territories.[2][6] Engzell then began to influence the policy of the Swedish government which would help Jews in Nazi-controlled regions.[2] He initiated actions to save Jews in Norway and Denmark.[2] In addition, Engzell encouraged Swedish diplomats Raoul Wallenberg, Carl Ivan Danielsson and Per Anger to take steps to protect Jews in Budapest in 1944.[2][7] As a result of the activities of Engzell and his staff, approximately 30,000–40,000 Jews were rescued.[2][7]
Personal life
In 1927, Engzell married Baroness Anna Ehrenkrona (born 1903), the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Baron Carl-Erik Ehrenkrona and Signe Westman. They had four sons: Göran (born 1928), Ulf (born 1931), Stig (born 1938), and Hans (born 1945).[1]
Death
Engzell died in 1997.[4]
Legacy
The 2026 film, The Swedish Connection, is based on the work of Gösta Engzell to rescue Jews during World War II.
Awards and decorations
- Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (6 June 1956)[8]
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland[1]
- Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown[1]
- Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Dannebrog[1]
- Commander 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland[1]
- Order of the German Eagle with Star[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 1, Stor–Stockholm (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 348. SELIBR 53509.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Paul A. Levine (2000). "Attitudes and Action: Comparing the Responses of Mid-level Bureaucrats to the Holocaust". The Journal of Holocaust Education. 9 (2): 217–229. doi:10.1080/17504902.2000.11087109. S2CID 154732855.
- ^ Hernroth-Rothstein, Annika (May 2014). "Hating Jews in Sweden". Commentary. Vol. 37, no. 15. p. 47. ProQuest 1521122128. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Engzell Gösta (1897 – 1997)" (in Swedish). National Archives of Sweden.
- ^ a b "Tidigare svenska beskickningschefer & ambassadörer i Finland". Sweden Abroad (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Simo Muir (Spring 2016). "The Plan to Rescue Finnish Jews in 1944". Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 30 (1): 83. doi:10.1093/hgs/dcw006.
- ^ a b "Swedish Diplomats Who Rescued Jews". Rescue in the Holocaust. 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Matriklar (D 1)" [Directory (D 1)]. Kungl. Maj:ts Ordens arkiv (in Swedish). Royal Court of Sweden. 1950–1959. p. 119. Retrieved 10 February 2026 – via National Archives of Sweden.
External links
- Media related to Gösta Engzell at Wikimedia Commons