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Consulate General of Sweden, Houston

April 15, 2024

The Consulate General of Sweden, Houston was the diplomatic mission of Sweden in Houston between 1963 and 1981. The consulate general originated from the consulate opened in 1950, which was converted into a consulate general in 1963. The consulate general tasks was to advance the interests of Sweden, and to serve and protect Swedes in Houston and different states in the Southern United States. Along with those in Chicago, Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, and Montreal, the consulate general belonged to the so-called "heritage consulates" due to the large number of inheritance cases it handled.

Consulate General of Sweden, Houston
LocationHouston
Address1775 Saint James Place, Suite 105[a]
Houston, TX 77056
Coordinates29°44′51″N 95°28′22″W / 29.74752547879361°N 95.47284719783931°W / 29.74752547879361; -95.47284719783931
OpeningMay 24, 1950[b]
ClosedAugust 1, 1981

The consulate general's district comprised not only the city of Houston but also the states of Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and the Florida panhandle. Between the years 1971 and 1977, there was no appointed consul general. In 1978, the consulate general was reopened but was shut down only three years later. Since 1983, a Swedish honorary consulate general has been operating in Houston.

History edit

Consulate edit

The King in Council decided on November 15, 1949, to establish an honorary consulate in Houston and had prescribed that a position in salary grade Ca 33 within the Swedish foreign service would be temporarily stationed at this consulate. For this purpose, the consul position that was attached to the Consulate General of Sweden, New York City had been temporarily reassigned. As it was desirable for this position to be returned to its regular place of assignment, the minister for foreign affairs appointed that a specific position, such as consul in salary grade Ca 33 stationed in Houston, should be established.[1]

Consul Gunnar Dyrelius, appointed as consul in Houston, emphasized that the establishment of the consulate was a pioneering effort within the Swedish export drive in the United States. The southern part of the southwestern states had not been commercially explored from the Swedish side before. It was understood that there should be no exaggerated hopes of quickly establishing a large market there, but the area had significant potential and was one of the wealthiest parts of the United States. A quarter of all investments in the United States in 1948 were made in Texas. At the establishment of the consulate, it had not yet been determined how large the district of the new "export consulate" would encompass, but it was expected to include Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama, most of which had previously belonged to the district of the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago.[2]

In May 1950, the consulate moved into its own premises. It was officially inaugurated on May 24. The premises housed a permanent exhibition of Swedish industrial and artisanal products.[3] The consulate was located at 3602 Montrose Boulevard in the Neartown-Montrose area. The premises were exclusively furnished with Swedish office furniture, and the spaces were entirely dedicated to the exhibition of Swedish industrial and artisanal products. The exhibition concept was further developed, and in early June 1950, Consul Gunnar Dryselius traveled to Sweden to establish contacts with companies whose products were expected to gain traction in this vast and largely untapped market for Sweden.[4]

At the inauguration of the consulate, representatives from the city's business and trade community gathered to participate, including Mayor Oscar F. Holcombe and former Secretary of Commerce Jesse H. Jones. Importers from other parts of Texas also attended to explore what Sweden could offer. Nearly 1,000 people participated in the ceremonies, which began with the national anthems of both countries. Consul Gunnar Dryselius expressed hope that the new consulate would serve as a bridge between Sweden and the Southwestern United States, promoting increased trade, tourism, and cultural exchange for the mutual benefit of both countries.[5]

Consulate general edit

In 1963, the consulate was elevated to consulate general.[6] When the consulate was upgraded to a consulate general, Consul Karl Henrik Andersson was appointed as the Consul General there.[7]

On July 1, 1971, the consulate general in Houston was transformed into a trade commissioner office.[8] After that, Sweden did not have a Consul General in Houston for the next seven years.[9] During this time, the office was staffed by a vice consul.[10]

Final years and closure edit

In 1978, Sweden reestablished the consulate general in Houston due to "the heavy economic decisions that will be made in this region in the future."[10] The year before, the county governor and former leader of the Moderate Party, Yngve Holmberg, was offered the position of Consul General in Houston, despite criticism from the labor organizations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, TCO and SACO/SR. They had previously objected to what they called "retreat appointments," where competent Ministry for Foreign Affairs officials were passed over in the promotion process when ambassadorial positions were given to former parliamentarians instead of those trained by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.[11] On December 1, 1977, Holmberg was appointed as the new Consul General.[12] He commenced his duties on January 1, 1978.[13] In September 1980, it was reported that Chancellor of Justice Bengt Hamdahl [sv] had initiated a preliminary investigation into Holmberg's actions as head of the Swedish Consulate General in Houston. Earlier that year, staff at the consulate general had requested the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to intervene to address certain collaboration issues.[14] The Chancellor of Justice announced that Holmberg was suspected of having acted criminally in two instances. In one case, it was related to allegedly receiving "improper remuneration in the exercise of his duties." In the other case, he was suspected of having requested such remuneration.[15] At the end of November 1980, the Chancellor of Justice announced that Holmberg would be prosecuted for bribery. Pending the trial, Holmberg's duties were relocated to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs administration in Stockholm.[16] No substitute for Holmberg was appointed in Houston.[17] In September 1980, it was reported that the consulate general would remain operational despite the absence of a Consul General, but with reduced staffing, primarily focusing on the offshore and shipbuilding industries.[18]

On February 13, 1981, Holmberg was convicted in Stockholm District Court for bribery and was sentenced to a conditional sentence combined with 90 day-fines of 90 SEK each, and 5,000 SEK in legal costs.[19] Three months later, in May 1981, Holmberg requested to resign from his position in Houston, which the Swedish government granted. He was then given three months to wind down the operations.[20] Holmberg was placed on leave by the government as of August 1, 1981.[21] On the same date, the consulate general was closed.[22]

Honorary consulate general edit

In 1983, Sweden instead opened an honorary consulate general in Bellaire, Texas, with attorney Jeffrey B. Love serving as the honorary consul general. Since the 1980s, the consulate general has been located at several places in Greater Houston. Today, the honorary consulate general is located at the same address as the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Texas (SACC-Texas) in Houston.

Tasks edit

The consulate, along with those in New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Minneapolis, and Houston, belonged to the so-called heritage consulates due to the large number of inheritance cases the consulate handled.[6] During the 1980s, the consulate general primarily focused on the offshore and shipbuilding industries.[18]

Area of responsibility edit

From 1949, the consulate's district encompassed Houston and the states of Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, as well as the Florida panhandle.[23] This district lasted until 1975.[24] From 1976 to 1978, the district only included Houston and Texas[25][26] and from 1976, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas belonged to the Consulate General of Sweden, New York City. The states of Kentucky and Tennessee were transferred to the Consulate General of Sweden, Chicago.[27] In 1979, these states reverted to the jurisdiction of the consulate general in Houston when it was reestablished.[28] The district remained the same until 1981 when the consulate general was closed.[29] From when the honorary consulate general opened in 1983 until at least 1988, the district consisted of Texas except for the city of Dallas.[30][31] In 2024, the district consisted of Houston, South Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.[32]

Buildings edit

Chancery edit

The chancery was located in the Commerce Building, Houston, in 1950[33] before moving to 3602 Montrose Boulevard in the Neartown-Montrose area in the same year.[4] It remained here until 1954.[34] From 1955, the address was a couple of hundred meters away at 3400 Montrose Boulevard in an office building.[35] At least from 1964 to 1967, it was located in Suite 803 at the same address.[36][37] The consulate remained at 3400 Montrose Boulevard until 1971/72 when it was converted into a trade commissioner office.[38] From 1973 to 1975, the address was 4600 Post Oak Place Drive, Suite 100, in the Afton Oaks / River Oaks area.[39][24] Thereafter, it was only listed as P.O. Box 27459, Houston, Texas 77027, between 1976 and 1979.[25][28] From 1980 until the closure of the consulate general in 1981, it was located at 17 South Briar Hollow Lane, Suite 400,[40][29] around the corner from the consulate general's previous address in Afton Oaks / River Oaks.

From 1983, the honorary consulate general was located in the same place as the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bellaire, at 6900 South Rice Avenue in Bellaire, Texas.[30] From at least 1985 to at least 1988, it was located at the law firm of Liddell, Sapp, Zivley, Brown & LaBoon's office on the 34th floor of the Texas Commerce Towers.[41][31] From at least 1990 to 1993, it was located in the NCNB Bank Building, 5123 Bellaire Boulevard in Bellaire, Texas.[42][43] From 1994 to at least 1999, it was located at 2401 Fountainview Drive, Suite 510, in the Greater Uptown district of Houston.[44][45] From at least 2005 to 2012, it was located at 2909 Hillcroft Street, Suite 515, in the Mid West neighborhood of Houston.[46][47] During the summer of 2012, it moved to River Oaks Tower at 3730 Kirby Drive, Suite 805, in the Greenway / Upper Kirby area.[48] It remained there until at least 2016.[49] It later moved to 1775 Saint James Place, Suite 105, in the Greater Uptown district of Houston.

Residence edit

From at least 1964 to 1968, the consul general's residence was located at 4640 Bryn Mawr Lane in the Afton Oaks neighborhood of Houston.[36][50]

Heads of Mission edit

Name Period Title Notes Ref
Consulate (1950–1963)
Gunnar Dryselius November 1949 – 1957 Consul Consul General's exequatur from 1953.[51] [2][52]
Karl Henrik Andersson 1958 – June 28, 1963 Consul [53][7]
Consulate general (1963–1981)
Karl Henrik Andersson June 28, 1963 – 1963 Consul general [7]
Tore Högstedt 1964–1969 Consul general [54]
Bengt Rösiö 1969–1971 Consul general [55]
– 1971–1977 Consul general Vacant [9]
Yngve Holmberg March 3, 1978 – August 1, 1981 Consul general [56][21]
Honorary consulate general (1982–present)
– 1982–1982 Consul general Vacant [57]
Jeffrey B. Love April 29, 1983 – 1988 Honorary consul general [30][58]
Robert A. Fowler September 19, 1989 – 1998 Honorary consul general [59][60]
Jan Dryselius June 29, 1993 – November 6, 2008 Honorary consul [45]
Jan Dryselius November 7, 2008 – August 2012 Honorary consul general [47][61][62]
Astrid Marklund August 15, 2012 – present Honorary consul general [63]

See also edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ The address of today's honorary consulate general which opened in 1983 after the consulate general closed two years prior.
  2. ^ The consulate general has its origins in the consulate which was inaugurated on May 24, 1950 which became a consulate general in 1963.

References edit

  1. ^ "Statsutskottets utlåtande nr 117" (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Committee of Supply. May 2, 1950. p. 5. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Persson, Per (1949-11-25). "Pioniärarbete i Houston för exportoffensiven på USA. Vår konsul anser området mycket lovande". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). New York City. p. 3. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "Konsulatet i Houston har fått egna lokaler". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). New York City. TT. 1950-05-12. p. 4A. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Vårt "exportkonsulat" i Texas inför start". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1950-05-12. p. 16A. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Persson, Per (1950-05-26). "Vårt exportkonsulat i Texas nu invigt". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). New York City. p. A19. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Generalkonsulatet Houston (1949 – )" [Consulate General Houston (1949 – )] (in Swedish). National Archives of Sweden. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Rekordkonselj: 2149 beslut klubbades". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1963-06-29. p. A5. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Handelskammare dras in". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1971-01-05. p. 11. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "FÖR DAGEN". Arbetet (in Swedish). 1977-12-03. p. 2. Retrieved April 23, 2020. Sverige har inte haft någon generalkonsul i Houston sedan 1971...
  10. ^ a b "New Consuls Assigned To Houston" (PDF). Port of Houston Magazine. 22 (9). Port of Houston Authority: 13. September 1978. ISSN 0032-4825. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Riksdagsmän tar våra jobb". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1977-11-03. p. 11. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "UD-utnämningar". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1977-12-02. p. 17. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "JK...". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1980-09-25. p. 4. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "Yngve Holmberg synas av JK". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1980-09-25. p. 1. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Alfredsson, Hans O. (1980-09-26). "Holmberg misstänkts för brott". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). No. 262. p. 6. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  16. ^ Bergström, Håkan (1980-11-20). "Yngve Holmberg åtalas för mutbrott". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 8. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  17. ^ "Holmberg − måste stanna hemma". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1980-11-23. p. 6. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Handelskontor till Atlanta". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1980-09-10. p. 25. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Bergström, Håkan (1981-02-14). "Stockholmstinget fällde Holmberg för mutbrott". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 9. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "Holmberg avgår som konsul". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1981-05-13. p. 6. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "JK om Yngve Holmberg: Fel och försummelser". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1981-09-03. p. 8. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Holmberg avgår som konsul". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1981-05-13. p. 6. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Klädnypan svensk sydstatsreklam". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1949-12-23. p. A9. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1975). Sveriges statskalender 1975 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Liber/Allmänna. p. 397. ISBN 91-38-02088-2. SELIBR 3682757.
  25. ^ a b Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1976). Sveriges statskalender 1976 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Liber/Allmänna. p. 421. ISBN 91-38-02736-4. SELIBR 3682757.
  26. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1978). Sveriges statskalender 1978 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Liber/Allmänna. p. 434. ISBN 91-38-03894-3. SELIBR 3682759.
  27. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1976). Sveriges statskalender 1976 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Liber/Allmänna. p. 420. ISBN 91-38-02736-4. SELIBR 3682757.
  28. ^ a b Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1979). Sveriges statskalender 1979 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. p. 332. ISBN 91-38-04622-9. SELIBR 3682760.
  29. ^ a b Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1981). Sveriges statskalender 1981 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. pp. 341–342. ISBN 91-38-06008-6. SELIBR 3682762.
  30. ^ a b c Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, 1983. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 1983. p. 203.
  31. ^ a b Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, February 1988. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 1988. p. 80.
  32. ^ "Welcome to the Consulate of Sweden in Houston". Honorary Consulate of Sweden, Houston. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  33. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1950 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1950. p. 288.
  34. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1954 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1954. p. 310.
  35. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1955 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 317.
  36. ^ a b Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1964 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1964. p. 318.
  37. ^ Sveriges statskalender 1967 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1967. p. 316.
  38. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1972). Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1972 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 364. SELIBR 3682755.
  39. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1973). Sveriges statskalender 1973 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell. p. 364. SELIBR 3682755.
  40. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1980). Sveriges statskalender 1980 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. p. 332. ISBN 91-38-05350-0. SELIBR 33682761.
  41. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, September 1985. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 1985. p. 80.
  42. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, September 1990. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 1990. p. 66.
  43. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, September 1993. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 1993. p. 79. ISBN 0-16-042078-4.
  44. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, March 1994. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 1994. p. 92. ISBN 0-16-043137-9.
  45. ^ a b Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, Spring/Summer 1999. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 1999. p. 90. ISBN 0-16-049993-3.
  46. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, Fall/Winter 2005 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 2005. p. 109. ISBN 9780160754210.
  47. ^ a b Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, Spring/Summer 2012 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 2012. p. 120. ISBN 9781601758743.
  48. ^ Marklund, Astrid (2012). "Changes at Consulate General of Sweden in Houston". The Swedish Club of Houston. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  49. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, Winter/Spring 2016 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. 2016. p. 121. ISBN 9781598048308.
  50. ^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1968 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1968. p. 326.
  51. ^ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1977 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1977] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1976. p. 219. ISBN 91-1-766022-X. SELIBR 3681523.
  52. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1957 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1957. p. 299.
  53. ^ Sveriges statskalender 1963 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1963. p. 313.
  54. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender 1969 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 349. SELIBR 3682754.
  55. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1971). Sveriges statskalender 1971 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 357.
  56. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, 1978. United States Department of State. 1978. p. 104.
  57. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1982). Sveriges statskalender 1982 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber/Allmänna. p. 353. ISBN 9138067307. SELIBR 3682763.
  58. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1988). Sveriges statskalender 1988 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Allmänna. p. 353. ISBN 91-38-09927-6. SELIBR 3682767.
  59. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, 1991. United States Department of State. 1990. p. 61. ISBN 0160360277.
  60. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1998). Sveriges statskalender 1998 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 171. ISBN 9138313111. SELIBR 3682777.
  61. ^ Honeybone, Helene, ed. (2009). "HOUSTON" (PDF). SACC-TX Newsletter. 17 (1). Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce Texas: 12. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  62. ^ Dryselius, Jan (2012). "Farewell from SCH member Jan Dryselius". The Swedish Club News. XXV (4). The Swedish Club of Houston: 2. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  63. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States: Winter/Spring 2016 (PDF). United States Department of State. 2016. p. 121. ISBN 9781598048308.

External links edit

  • Official website for the Honorary Consulate of Sweden, Houston

April 15, 2024
consulate, general, sweden, houston, diplomatic, mission, sweden, houston, between, 1963, 1981, consulate, general, originated, from, consulate, opened, 1950, which, converted, into, consulate, general, 1963, consulate, general, tasks, advance, interests, swed. The Consulate General of Sweden Houston was the diplomatic mission of Sweden in Houston between 1963 and 1981 The consulate general originated from the consulate opened in 1950 which was converted into a consulate general in 1963 The consulate general tasks was to advance the interests of Sweden and to serve and protect Swedes in Houston and different states in the Southern United States Along with those in Chicago Minneapolis New York City San Francisco and Montreal the consulate general belonged to the so called heritage consulates due to the large number of inheritance cases it handled Consulate General of Sweden HoustonLocationHoustonAddress1775 Saint James Place Suite 105 a Houston TX 77056Coordinates29 44 51 N 95 28 22 W 29 74752547879361 N 95 47284719783931 W 29 74752547879361 95 47284719783931OpeningMay 24 1950 b ClosedAugust 1 1981The consulate general s district comprised not only the city of Houston but also the states of Texas Alabama Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi New Mexico Oklahoma and the Florida panhandle Between the years 1971 and 1977 there was no appointed consul general In 1978 the consulate general was reopened but was shut down only three years later Since 1983 a Swedish honorary consulate general has been operating in Houston Contents 1 History 1 1 Consulate 1 2 Consulate general 1 3 Final years and closure 1 4 Honorary consulate general 2 Tasks 3 Area of responsibility 4 Buildings 4 1 Chancery 4 2 Residence 5 Heads of Mission 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 References 9 External linksHistory editConsulate edit The King in Council decided on November 15 1949 to establish an honorary consulate in Houston and had prescribed that a position in salary grade Ca 33 within the Swedish foreign service would be temporarily stationed at this consulate For this purpose the consul position that was attached to the Consulate General of Sweden New York City had been temporarily reassigned As it was desirable for this position to be returned to its regular place of assignment the minister for foreign affairs appointed that a specific position such as consul in salary grade Ca 33 stationed in Houston should be established 1 Consul Gunnar Dyrelius appointed as consul in Houston emphasized that the establishment of the consulate was a pioneering effort within the Swedish export drive in the United States The southern part of the southwestern states had not been commercially explored from the Swedish side before It was understood that there should be no exaggerated hopes of quickly establishing a large market there but the area had significant potential and was one of the wealthiest parts of the United States A quarter of all investments in the United States in 1948 were made in Texas At the establishment of the consulate it had not yet been determined how large the district of the new export consulate would encompass but it was expected to include Texas New Mexico Oklahoma Mississippi Louisiana Arkansas and Alabama most of which had previously belonged to the district of the Consulate General of Sweden Chicago 2 In May 1950 the consulate moved into its own premises It was officially inaugurated on May 24 The premises housed a permanent exhibition of Swedish industrial and artisanal products 3 The consulate was located at 3602 Montrose Boulevard in the Neartown Montrose area The premises were exclusively furnished with Swedish office furniture and the spaces were entirely dedicated to the exhibition of Swedish industrial and artisanal products The exhibition concept was further developed and in early June 1950 Consul Gunnar Dryselius traveled to Sweden to establish contacts with companies whose products were expected to gain traction in this vast and largely untapped market for Sweden 4 At the inauguration of the consulate representatives from the city s business and trade community gathered to participate including Mayor Oscar F Holcombe and former Secretary of Commerce Jesse H Jones Importers from other parts of Texas also attended to explore what Sweden could offer Nearly 1 000 people participated in the ceremonies which began with the national anthems of both countries Consul Gunnar Dryselius expressed hope that the new consulate would serve as a bridge between Sweden and the Southwestern United States promoting increased trade tourism and cultural exchange for the mutual benefit of both countries 5 Consulate general edit In 1963 the consulate was elevated to consulate general 6 When the consulate was upgraded to a consulate general Consul Karl Henrik Andersson was appointed as the Consul General there 7 On July 1 1971 the consulate general in Houston was transformed into a trade commissioner office 8 After that Sweden did not have a Consul General in Houston for the next seven years 9 During this time the office was staffed by a vice consul 10 Final years and closure edit In 1978 Sweden reestablished the consulate general in Houston due to the heavy economic decisions that will be made in this region in the future 10 The year before the county governor and former leader of the Moderate Party Yngve Holmberg was offered the position of Consul General in Houston despite criticism from the labor organizations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs TCO and SACO SR They had previously objected to what they called retreat appointments where competent Ministry for Foreign Affairs officials were passed over in the promotion process when ambassadorial positions were given to former parliamentarians instead of those trained by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs 11 On December 1 1977 Holmberg was appointed as the new Consul General 12 He commenced his duties on January 1 1978 13 In September 1980 it was reported that Chancellor of Justice Bengt Hamdahl sv had initiated a preliminary investigation into Holmberg s actions as head of the Swedish Consulate General in Houston Earlier that year staff at the consulate general had requested the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to intervene to address certain collaboration issues 14 The Chancellor of Justice announced that Holmberg was suspected of having acted criminally in two instances In one case it was related to allegedly receiving improper remuneration in the exercise of his duties In the other case he was suspected of having requested such remuneration 15 At the end of November 1980 the Chancellor of Justice announced that Holmberg would be prosecuted for bribery Pending the trial Holmberg s duties were relocated to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs administration in Stockholm 16 No substitute for Holmberg was appointed in Houston 17 In September 1980 it was reported that the consulate general would remain operational despite the absence of a Consul General but with reduced staffing primarily focusing on the offshore and shipbuilding industries 18 On February 13 1981 Holmberg was convicted in Stockholm District Court for bribery and was sentenced to a conditional sentence combined with 90 day fines of 90 SEK each and 5 000 SEK in legal costs 19 Three months later in May 1981 Holmberg requested to resign from his position in Houston which the Swedish government granted He was then given three months to wind down the operations 20 Holmberg was placed on leave by the government as of August 1 1981 21 On the same date the consulate general was closed 22 Honorary consulate general edit In 1983 Sweden instead opened an honorary consulate general in Bellaire Texas with attorney Jeffrey B Love serving as the honorary consul general Since the 1980s the consulate general has been located at several places in Greater Houston Today the honorary consulate general is located at the same address as the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Texas SACC Texas in Houston Tasks editThe consulate along with those in New York City San Francisco Montreal Minneapolis and Houston belonged to the so called heritage consulates due to the large number of inheritance cases the consulate handled 6 During the 1980s the consulate general primarily focused on the offshore and shipbuilding industries 18 Area of responsibility editFrom 1949 the consulate s district encompassed Houston and the states of Texas Alabama Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi New Mexico Oklahoma as well as the Florida panhandle 23 This district lasted until 1975 24 From 1976 to 1978 the district only included Houston and Texas 25 26 and from 1976 Alabama Louisiana Mississippi and Texas belonged to the Consulate General of Sweden New York City The states of Kentucky and Tennessee were transferred to the Consulate General of Sweden Chicago 27 In 1979 these states reverted to the jurisdiction of the consulate general in Houston when it was reestablished 28 The district remained the same until 1981 when the consulate general was closed 29 From when the honorary consulate general opened in 1983 until at least 1988 the district consisted of Texas except for the city of Dallas 30 31 In 2024 the district consisted of Houston South Texas Oklahoma and Arkansas 32 Buildings editChancery edit The chancery was located in the Commerce Building Houston in 1950 33 before moving to 3602 Montrose Boulevard in the Neartown Montrose area in the same year 4 It remained here until 1954 34 From 1955 the address was a couple of hundred meters away at 3400 Montrose Boulevard in an office building 35 At least from 1964 to 1967 it was located in Suite 803 at the same address 36 37 The consulate remained at 3400 Montrose Boulevard until 1971 72 when it was converted into a trade commissioner office 38 From 1973 to 1975 the address was 4600 Post Oak Place Drive Suite 100 in the Afton Oaks River Oaks area 39 24 Thereafter it was only listed as P O Box 27459 Houston Texas 77027 between 1976 and 1979 25 28 From 1980 until the closure of the consulate general in 1981 it was located at 17 South Briar Hollow Lane Suite 400 40 29 around the corner from the consulate general s previous address in Afton Oaks River Oaks From 1983 the honorary consulate general was located in the same place as the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bellaire at 6900 South Rice Avenue in Bellaire Texas 30 From at least 1985 to at least 1988 it was located at the law firm of Liddell Sapp Zivley Brown amp LaBoon s office on the 34th floor of the Texas Commerce Towers 41 31 From at least 1990 to 1993 it was located in the NCNB Bank Building 5123 Bellaire Boulevard in Bellaire Texas 42 43 From 1994 to at least 1999 it was located at 2401 Fountainview Drive Suite 510 in the Greater Uptown district of Houston 44 45 From at least 2005 to 2012 it was located at 2909 Hillcroft Street Suite 515 in the Mid West neighborhood of Houston 46 47 During the summer of 2012 it moved to River Oaks Tower at 3730 Kirby Drive Suite 805 in the Greenway Upper Kirby area 48 It remained there until at least 2016 49 It later moved to 1775 Saint James Place Suite 105 in the Greater Uptown district of Houston Residence edit From at least 1964 to 1968 the consul general s residence was located at 4640 Bryn Mawr Lane in the Afton Oaks neighborhood of Houston 36 50 Heads of Mission editName Period Title Notes RefConsulate 1950 1963 Gunnar Dryselius November 1949 1957 Consul Consul General s exequatur from 1953 51 2 52 Karl Henrik Andersson 1958 June 28 1963 Consul 53 7 Consulate general 1963 1981 Karl Henrik Andersson June 28 1963 1963 Consul general 7 Tore Hogstedt 1964 1969 Consul general 54 Bengt Rosio 1969 1971 Consul general 55 1971 1977 Consul general Vacant 9 Yngve Holmberg March 3 1978 August 1 1981 Consul general 56 21 Honorary consulate general 1982 present 1982 1982 Consul general Vacant 57 Jeffrey B Love April 29 1983 1988 Honorary consul general 30 58 Robert A Fowler September 19 1989 1998 Honorary consul general 59 60 Jan Dryselius June 29 1993 November 6 2008 Honorary consul 45 Jan Dryselius November 7 2008 August 2012 Honorary consul general 47 61 62 Astrid Marklund August 15 2012 present Honorary consul general 63 See also editConsulate General of Sweden Chicago Consulate General of Sweden New York City Consulate General of Sweden Los Angeles Consulate General of Sweden Minneapolis Consulate General of Sweden San FranciscoFootnotes edit The address of today s honorary consulate general which opened in 1983 after the consulate general closed two years prior The consulate general has its origins in the consulate which was inaugurated on May 24 1950 which became a consulate general in 1963 References edit Statsutskottets utlatande nr 117 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Committee of Supply May 2 1950 p 5 Retrieved February 28 2024 a b Persson Per 1949 11 25 Pioniararbete i Houston for exportoffensiven pa USA Var konsul anser omradet mycket lovande Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish New York City p 3 Retrieved February 28 2024 Konsulatet i Houston har fatt egna lokaler Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish New York City TT 1950 05 12 p 4A Retrieved February 28 2024 a b Vart exportkonsulat i Texas infor start Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1950 05 12 p 16A Retrieved February 28 2024 Persson Per 1950 05 26 Vart exportkonsulat i Texas nu invigt Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish New York City p A19 Retrieved February 28 2024 a b Generalkonsulatet Houston 1949 Consulate General Houston 1949 in Swedish National Archives of Sweden Retrieved February 28 2024 a b c Rekordkonselj 2149 beslut klubbades Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1963 06 29 p A5 Retrieved February 28 2024 Handelskammare dras in Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1971 01 05 p 11 Retrieved February 28 2024 a b FOR DAGEN Arbetet in Swedish 1977 12 03 p 2 Retrieved April 23 2020 Sverige har inte haft nagon generalkonsul i Houston sedan 1971 a b New Consuls Assigned To Houston PDF Port of Houston Magazine 22 9 Port of Houston Authority 13 September 1978 ISSN 0032 4825 Retrieved February 29 2024 Riksdagsman tar vara jobb Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1977 11 03 p 11 Retrieved February 28 2024 UD utnamningar Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1977 12 02 p 17 Retrieved February 28 2024 JK Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1980 09 25 p 4 Retrieved February 28 2024 Yngve Holmberg synas av JK Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1980 09 25 p 1 Retrieved February 28 2024 Alfredsson Hans O 1980 09 26 Holmberg misstankts for brott Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish No 262 p 6 Retrieved February 28 2024 Bergstrom Hakan 1980 11 20 Yngve Holmberg atalas for mutbrott Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish p 8 Retrieved February 28 2024 Holmberg maste stanna hemma Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1980 11 23 p 6 Retrieved February 28 2024 a b Handelskontor till Atlanta Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1980 09 10 p 25 Retrieved March 1 2024 Bergstrom Hakan 1981 02 14 Stockholmstinget fallde Holmberg for mutbrott Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish p 9 Retrieved February 28 2024 Holmberg avgar som konsul Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1981 05 13 p 6 Retrieved February 28 2024 a b JK om Yngve Holmberg Fel och forsummelser Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1981 09 03 p 8 Retrieved February 28 2024 Holmberg avgar som konsul Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1981 05 13 p 6 Retrieved February 28 2024 Kladnypan svensk sydstatsreklam Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 1949 12 23 p A9 Retrieved February 28 2024 a b Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1975 Sveriges statskalender 1975 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Liber Allmanna p 397 ISBN 91 38 02088 2 SELIBR 3682757 a b Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1976 Sveriges statskalender 1976 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Liber Allmanna p 421 ISBN 91 38 02736 4 SELIBR 3682757 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1978 Sveriges statskalender 1978 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Liber Allmanna p 434 ISBN 91 38 03894 3 SELIBR 3682759 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1976 Sveriges statskalender 1976 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Liber Allmanna p 420 ISBN 91 38 02736 4 SELIBR 3682757 a b Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1979 Sveriges statskalender 1979 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Liber p 332 ISBN 91 38 04622 9 SELIBR 3682760 a b Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1981 Sveriges statskalender 1981 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Liber pp 341 342 ISBN 91 38 06008 6 SELIBR 3682762 a b c Foreign Consular Offices in the United States 1983 Washington D C United States Department of State 1983 p 203 a b Foreign Consular Offices in the United States February 1988 Washington D C United States Department of State 1988 p 80 Welcome to the Consulate of Sweden in Houston Honorary Consulate of Sweden Houston Retrieved February 28 2024 Sveriges statskalender for aret 1950 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1950 p 288 Sveriges statskalender for aret 1954 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1954 p 310 Sveriges statskalender for aret 1955 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1955 p 317 a b Sveriges statskalender for skottaret 1964 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1964 p 318 Sveriges statskalender 1967 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1967 p 316 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1972 Sveriges statskalender for skottaret 1972 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer p 364 SELIBR 3682755 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1973 Sveriges statskalender 1973 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Almqvist amp Wiksell p 364 SELIBR 3682755 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1980 Sveriges statskalender 1980 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Liber p 332 ISBN 91 38 05350 0 SELIBR 33682761 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States September 1985 Washington D C United States Department of State 1985 p 80 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States September 1990 Washington D C United States Department of State 1990 p 66 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States September 1993 Washington D C United States Department of State 1993 p 79 ISBN 0 16 042078 4 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States March 1994 Washington D C United States Department of State 1994 p 92 ISBN 0 16 043137 9 a b Foreign Consular Offices in the United States Spring Summer 1999 Washington D C United States Department of State 1999 p 90 ISBN 0 16 049993 3 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States Fall Winter 2005 PDF Washington D C United States Department of State 2005 p 109 ISBN 9780160754210 a b Foreign Consular Offices in the United States Spring Summer 2012 PDF Washington D C United States Department of State 2012 p 120 ISBN 9781601758743 Marklund Astrid 2012 Changes at Consulate General of Sweden in Houston The Swedish Club of Houston Retrieved February 29 2024 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States Winter Spring 2016 PDF Washington D C United States Department of State 2016 p 121 ISBN 9781598048308 Sveriges statskalender for skottaret 1968 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1968 p 326 Vem ar det svensk biografisk handbok 1977 Who is it Swedish biographical handbook 1977 in Swedish Stockholm Norstedt 1976 p 219 ISBN 91 1 766022 X SELIBR 3681523 Sveriges statskalender for aret 1957 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1957 p 299 Sveriges statskalender 1963 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer 1963 p 313 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1969 Sveriges statskalender 1969 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer p 349 SELIBR 3682754 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1971 Sveriges statskalender 1971 PDF in Swedish Uppsala Fritzes offentliga publikationer p 357 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States 1978 United States Department of State 1978 p 104 Skoldenberg Bengt ed 1982 Sveriges statskalender 1982 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Liber Allmanna p 353 ISBN 9138067307 SELIBR 3682763 Spiegelberg Christina ed 1988 Sveriges statskalender 1988 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Allmanna p 353 ISBN 91 38 09927 6 SELIBR 3682767 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States 1991 United States Department of State 1990 p 61 ISBN 0160360277 Spiegelberg Christina ed 1998 Sveriges statskalender 1998 PDF in Swedish Stockholm Fritzes p 171 ISBN 9138313111 SELIBR 3682777 Honeybone Helene ed 2009 HOUSTON PDF SACC TX Newsletter 17 1 Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Texas 12 Retrieved February 28 2024 Dryselius Jan 2012 Farewell from SCH member Jan Dryselius The Swedish Club News XXV 4 The Swedish Club of Houston 2 Retrieved February 28 2024 Foreign Consular Offices in the United States Winter Spring 2016 PDF United States Department of State 2016 p 121 ISBN 9781598048308 External links editOfficial website for the Honorary Consulate of Sweden Houston Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Consulate General of Sweden Houston amp oldid 1216471853, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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