Eric Virgin (diplomat)
Eric Virgin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eric Otto Gunnarsson Virgin 31 March 1920 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Died | 9 September 2004 (aged 84) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Resting place | Norra begravningsplatsen |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Years active | 1942–1986 |
| Spouse |
Gitt Cassel (m. 1951) |
| Children | 2 |
Eric Otto Gunnarsson Virgin (31 March 1920 – 9 September 2004) was a Swedish diplomat.
Early life
Virgin was born on 31 March 1920 in Svea Artillery Regiment Parish in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Colonel Gunnar Virgin and Elsie, née Ramel (aunt to Povel Ramel[1]). His grandfather was Major General Otto Virgin who served as minister of war from 1903 to 1905.[2]
Virgin passed his reserve officer exam in 1941 and received a Candidate of Law degree in 1942.[3]
Career
Virgin became an attaché the same year at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1942.[3] He served in New York City in 1943, Washington, D.C. in 1945 and at the Ministry of Finance from 1947 to 1949.[3] Early in his career he was associate of Dag Hammarskjöld in cases involving international financial issues.[4]
He became first administrative officer in 1949, first secretary at the Foreign Ministry in 1950 and was director there in 1955. Virgin was embassy counselor in Rome from 1957 to 1962 and was Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in New York City from 1962 to 1963.[3] He was head of the Foreign Ministry's Report Secretariat from 1963 to 1965 and was director-general of the Foreign Ministry's negotiating team in Stockholm from 1965 to 1966. Virgin was then envoy in Pretoria from 1966 to 1970, with concurrent accreditation in Gaborone (from 1969) and Maseru (from 1968),[5] Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Rangoon, and Vientiane from 1970 to 1976 and in East Berlin from 1976 to 1982. He was fiscal policy negotiator at the Foreign Ministry from 1982 to 1983 and ambassador in Rome and Valletta from 1983 to 1986.[3]
Virgin participated in various negotiations, including in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development between 1947 and 1957.[6] He was a consultant for FFV International in 1986, chairman of the Association of Friends of Swedish Museums (Svenska museivänföreningen), Association of Friends of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (Föreningen Östasiatiska Museets Vänner) and the Swedish Committee Pro Venezia (Svenska kommittén Pro Venezia).[3]
Personal life
Virgin married on 19 May 1951[7] with Margareta Elisabet ("Gitt") Cassel (1927–2017), daughter of works manager Fredrik Cassel and Margareta (née Lindforss).[3] He was the father of Louise (born 1953) and Caroline (born 1954).[6]
Deaths
Virgin died on 9 September 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden.[7] He was interred on 14 September 2005 at Norra begravningsplatsen in Solna.[8]
Awards
- Commanders 1st Class of the Order of the Polar Star (1 December 1973)[9]
- Knight of the Order of the Polar Star (1960)[10]
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[6]
- Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav[6]
- King Haakon VII Freedom Cross[6]
References
- ^ Holmqvist, Lasse; Broman, Sten; Ramel, Povel (24 December 1977). På tre man hand (Television production) (in Swedish). Sveriges Television: TV2. Event occurs at 26:15. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ Elgenstierna, Gustaf, ed. (1934). Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor (in Swedish). Vol. 8 Stålarm-Voltemat. Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 811. SELIBR 10076764.
- ^ a b c d e f g Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1992). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. pp. 1200–1201. ISBN 91-1-914072-X. SELIBR 8261513.
- ^ Ljungdahl, Gunnar; Lonæus, Gunnar (2004-09-11). "Eric Virgin". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2015-07-23.
- ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1970). Sveriges statskalender 1970 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. pp. 350, 354, 357.
- ^ a b c d e Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 1, Stor–Stockholm (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 1416. SELIBR 53509.
- ^ a b Sveriges dödbok 1901-2009 [Swedish death index 1901-2009] (in Swedish) (Version 5.0 ed.). Solna: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. 2010. ISBN 9789187676598. SELIBR 11931231.
- ^ "Virgin, Erik Otto Gunnarsson". svenskagravar.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ^ "Matriklar (D 1)" [Directory (D 1)]. Kungl. Maj:ts Ordens arkiv (in Swedish). Royal Court of Sweden. 1970–1979. p. 195. Retrieved 6 October 2025 – via National Archives of Sweden.
- ^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 279.