Axel Edelstam


Ernst Axel Edelstam was a Swedish diplomat. He served in the foreign service for almost 40 years, including as ambassador to many countries.

Early life

Edelstam was born on 21 July 1924 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of the permanent undersecretary and chamberlain and Hilma. He was the brother of diplomat Harald Edelstam. He passed studentexamen in 1944 and received a Candidate of Law degree in 1949 before becoming an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs the same year.

Career

Edelstam served in New York City in 1950, Washington, D.C. in 1951, and at the Foreign Ministry in 1953. He was acting as second secretary in 1957 and as first legation secretary at the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation delegation in Paris from 1959 to 1961. Edelstam was the first secretary of the Foreign Ministry in 1961.
He was acting head of the disarmament delegation in Geneva in 1967 and held the position of ambassador from 1970. Edelstam was a foreign affairs councillor and acting head of the political department at the Foreign Ministry from 1972 to 1975 and was a member of the negotiating group from 1975 to 1976. He was ambassador in Cairo from 1976 to 1981 with concurrent accreditation to Nicosia, Khartoum, and Mogadishu. He was then ambassador in Bangkok, Vientiane, and Singapore from 1981 to 1983, and then in New Delhi from 1983 to 1987 with concurrent accreditation to Colombo, Kathmandu, and Thimphu. Edelstam's final post as ambassador was in Oslo from 1987 to 1989.
Edelstam was head of the Swedish Road Administration's international secretariat from 1989 to 1994. As retired, Edelstam was active as local, politician in Borlänge for the Liberal People's Party and was for a period chairman of the Swedish Pensioners' Association in Borlänge.

Personal life

In 1947, Edelstam married Gloria Horstmann. They divorced, and in 1954, he married Ingrid Salén, the daughter of law speaker and Hilda Elfström. He was the father of Ellinor, Torsten, and Anne. He later married the American Mary Ann. Edelstam was a frequent skier and had a great interest in cultural issues, foreign policy, history, and literature.

Death

Edelstam died on 17 August 2012 in Stora Tuna, Borlänge Municipality, Sweden. He was interred on 3 September 2012 in the family grave at in Brännkyrka in southern Stockholm.

Awards and decorations