Hugo Wistrand

Hugo Wistrand
Born
Tor Hugo Wilhelm Wistrand

(1895-04-02)2 April 1895
Norrköping, Sweden
Died26 February 1983(1983-02-26) (aged 87)
Châteauneuf-Grasse, France
Alma materUppsala University
École des Sciences Politiques
University of Paris
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1919–1961
Spouse
Katharine Corbin Parsons
​
​
(m. 1928; died 1968)​
Children2

Tor Hugo Wilhelm Wistrand (2 April 1895 – 26 February 1983) was a Swedish diplomat.

Early life

Wistrand was born on 2 April 1895 in Norrköping, Sweden, the son of Hugo Wistrand, an accountant, and his wife Anna (née Lindwall). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Uppsala University in 1915 and a Candidate of Law degree in 1918. Wistrand enrolled in the same year in the École des Sciences Politiques and at the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris where he later received a Doctor of law degree in 1922[1] and became Lauréat de la Faculté de Droit the year after.[2]

Career

Wistrand was honorary attaché in Bern in 1919, attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs the same year and became acting administrative officer in 1920.[2] He was then secretary to the delegation of the Åland Islands dispute at the League of Nations Federal Council meeting in London and Paris in 1920. Wistrand was assistant secretary of the Scandinavian ministerial meeting in Copenhagen the same year and the secretary to the Swedish delegation at the League of Nations First Assembly in Geneva the same year.[3]

He was attaché in New York City in 1921, in Berlin the same year and attaché in Paris in 1922.[2] Wistrand was acting second legation secretary in London in 1922 and became second legation secretary in 1925. He was administrative officer (second secretary) at the Swedish Foreign Ministry in 1926, second legation secretary in Berlin in 1929 and first legation secretary there in 1931.[1] Wistrand then became first secretary at the Foreign Ministry in 1935 and first legation secretary in Tokyo in 1936. He was legation counsellor in Berlin in 1940 and the same in Washington, D.C. in 1941. Wistrand was deputy director at the Foreign Ministry in 1948 and Director (Utrikesråd) in 1949. He was ambassador to Beijing from 1952 to 1956 and also accredited to Bangkok as envoy extraordinaire and minister plenipotentiary from 1953 to 1956.[3] An obituary states that "Upon his departure from China, Wistrand received a rare and beautiful Chinese sculpture as a personal gift from Mao Zedong, an honor that has rarely been bestowed upon any other envoy".[4]

Wistrand ended his diplomatic career by being ambassador in Brussels and in Luxembourg City from 1956 to 1961.[3] In 1969 Wistrand was awarded an honorary doctorate by Uppsala University.[5]

Personal life

On 19 January 1928 he married Katharine Corbin Parsons (1905–1968[6]), the daughter of William Usher Parsons (1873–1933) and Katharine (née Corbin)[7] of 1 Lexington Avenue, New York City. The ceremony took place in the American Church in Paris. Katharine Corbin Parsons was the granddaughter of Lieutenant General Henry Clark Corbin.[8] Wistrand and Corbin Parsons had two children; Sylvie (born 1928) and Philippa (1933–1990).[9]

Wistrand was a resident of Châteauneuf-Grasse, France.[6]

Death

Wistrand died on 26 February 1983 in Châteauneuf-Grasse, France. He was interred on 22 July 1983 at Matthew's burial ground (Matteus begravningsplats) in his hometown of Norrköping.[10]

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Foreign

Bibliography

  • Wistrand, Hugo (1968). Les exceptions apportées aux droits de l'auteur sur ses œuvres [Exceptions to rights of authors in their work] (in French). Paris. SELIBR 8179382.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Wistrand, Hugo (1965). Le droit d'auteur en Suède et en France : comparaison des législations récentes [Copyright in Sweden and France: comparison of recent legislation] (in French). Paris: RIDA.
  • Wistrand, Hugo (1923). La diplomatie et les conflits de nationalités, principes et méthodes [Diplomacy and conflicts of nationalities, principles and methods] (in French). Paris: A. Pedone.
  • Wistrand, Hugo (1921). "The Principle of Equilibrium and the Present Period". American Journal of International Law. 15 (4): 523–29. doi:10.2307/2188286. JSTOR 2188286. S2CID 147656291.
  • Wistrand, Hugo (1920). Etudes sur les rapports entré la Suéde et la France en matiére de nationalité [Studies on relations between Sweden and France in respect of nationality] (in French).

References

  1. ^ a b Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1933 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1933] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1932. p. 927.
  2. ^ a b c Lindblad, Göran, ed. (1924). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1925 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1925] (in Swedish). Stockholm: P. A. Norstedt & Söners. p. 828. SELIBR 6gnl7s754g5f6x82.
  3. ^ a b c Lagerström, Sten, ed. (1968). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1969 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1969] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1047. SELIBR 3681519.
  4. ^ Hägglöf, Gunnar (1983-03-13). "Hugo Wistrand död: Diplomat och jurist" [Hugo Wistrand dies: Diplomat and lawyer]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 18. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Universiteten" [The universities]. Svensk Juristtidning (in Swedish). Uppsala: 828. 1969. SELIBR 11340488. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1977 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1977] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1976. p. 1119. ISBN 91-1-766022-X. SELIBR 3681523.
  7. ^ "William Usher Parsons, Ph.B. 1895" (PDF). Bulletin of Yale University: Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University - Deceased During the Year 1933-1934 (93). New Haven: Yale University: 255–256. 15 October 1934. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Miss Parsons Bride in Paris" (PDF). The Sun. 19 January 1928. p. 26. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Davidsson, Åke, ed. (1968). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 5, Norrland : supplement, register (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 1002. SELIBR 53513.
  10. ^ "Wistrand, Thor Hugo Vilhelm". svenskagravar.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  11. ^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 160.
  12. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1957 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1957. p. 67.
  13. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1951 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1951. p. 121.
  14. ^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 420.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Wistrand