Hjalmar Hammarskjöld

Hjalmar Hammarskjöld
Hammarskjöld before 1936
Prime Minister of Sweden
In office
17 February 1914  30 March 1917
MonarchGustaf V
Preceded byKarl Staaff
Succeeded byCarl Swartz
Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs
In office
2 August  7 November 1905
Prime MinisterChristian Lundeberg
Preceded byKarl Husberg
Succeeded byFridtjuv Berg
Minister of Justice
In office
5 December 1901  2 August 1902
Prime MinisterFredrik von Otter
Preceded byLudvig Annerstedt
Succeeded byOssian Berger
Personal details
Born
Knut Hjalmar Leonard Hammarskjöld

(1862-02-04)4 February 1862
Vimmerby, Sweden
Died12 October 1953(1953-10-12) (aged 91)
Stockholm, Sweden
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
(m. 1890; died 1940)
Children
Alma materUppsala University
Signature

Knut Hjalmar Leonard Hammarskjöld (Swedish: [ˈjǎlmar ˈhâmːarˌɧœld]; 4 February 1862 – 12 October 1953) was a Swedish politician and scholar who served as the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917.

He was a member of the Riksdag from 1923 to 1938 in the first chamber. Hammarskjöld led Sweden's government during most of the First World War, and maintained the nation's neutrality in that conflict. He was ideologically conservative, although he was never officially a member of any political party.

A member of the prominent Hammarskjöld family, he studied law at Uppsala University. He later served as Minister for Justice and Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs. He was appointed as prime minister following the resignation of Karl Staaff.

During World War I, although he was perceived as pro-German, he perused a policy of neutrality. He rejected a trade agreement with Britain, and food shortages led to protests against his government. Hammarskjöld resigned in 1917. He continued to hold political offices and continued his scholarly work. He died in 1953. He was the father of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second United Nations Secretary General from 1953 to 1961.