• Source: Bengt Friedman

      • Bengt Friedman (15 June 1923 – 24 November 2008) was a Swedish diplomat. Friedman served as ambassador of Sweden for over two decades. Throughout his diplomatic career, Friedman served as the Ambassador of Sweden to Argentina, the Holy See, Uruguay, Malta, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Mauritius. He also held the position of consul general in New York City from 1978 to 1983, where he lived at Sweden's Park Avenue residence.


      Early life and education


      Friedman was born on 15 June 1923 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of director Sam Friedman and his wife Märtha (née Wanger). He graduated from Stockholm School of Economics in 1944.


      Career


      Friedman began his career as an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm in 1948. He was posted to Warsaw in 1950 and Caracas in 1951, and served as acting chargé d'affaires in Bogotá in 1952. Returning to the Ministry in 1954, he became a second secretary and was promoted to first secretary in 1959. In 1960, he was appointed first secretary at the Swedish OEEC delegation in Paris and later the EFTA delegation in Geneva. By 1963, he had advanced to counselor at Sweden's Permanent Delegation in Geneva.
      In 1964, he became a director (byråchef) at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, followed by a role as deputy director (kansliråd) in 1965. In 1968, he was appointed trade counselor in Bonn and elevated to minister in 1970. From 1973, he served as ambassador to Monrovia, Abidjan, Conakry, and Freetown, adding Bissau and Praia in 1974, and later Addis Ababa, Tananarive, and Port Louis in 1976.
      In 1978, Friedman was named consul general in New York City, where he hosted numerous prominent public figures and Nobel laureates, including Fritz Albert Lipmann, André Frédéric Cournand, Severo Ochoa, Stanford Moore, Tjalling Koopmans, James Watson, and Alfred Hershey.
      He went on to serve as ambassador to Buenos Aires and Montevideo from 1983 to 1986, followed by postings as ambassador to the Holy See from 1986 to 1988 and Malta from 1987 to 1988.


      Personal life


      In 1951, Friedman married Märta Trulson (1924–2022), the daughter of lay judge Gustaf Trulson and Anna (née Svensson).
      After his retirement, Friedman and his wife settled in Viken. Friedman was active in Cabinet Skåne, an association for retired foreign ministry officials living in Scania.


      Death


      Friedman died on 24 November 2008. He was interred on 1 October 2009 at Viken New Cemetery in Viken, Höganäs Municipality.


      Awards and decorations


      Commander of the Order of the Liberator


      References

    Kata Kunci Pencarian: