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The Wallenbergs: Raoul's rich
heritage
Raoul Gustav Wallenberg was born on August 4, 1912 to a 21 year old
widow, Maj Wising, who's husband had died of cancer 3 months before
Raoul's birth. The Wallenberg family was very distinguished in Sweden
and world-wide. Raoul's father was an officer in the Swedish navy and
his paternal grandfather was the Ambassador to the Swedish embassy in Japan.
Raoul's uncles, Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg, were successful bankers
and founded the Enskilda Bank in Sweden. Other Wallenbergs were
diplomats and bishops of the Lutheran Church. His mother also came
from a prestigious family. Her father, Per, was Sweden's first
professor of neurology. Maj's great grandfather was a Jew named
Benedicks. He settled in Sweden and became a jeweler and eventually
the financial advisor to the king.
Growing up and Schooling
Raoul lived with his
mother and grandmother until Maj remarried in 1918, when he was 6
years old, to Frederick Von Dardel who soon rose to be the
administrator of Sweden's largest hospital, the Karolinska. The Von
Dardel's had 2 children, Nina and Guy who grew up with Raoul as
close siblings. When he graduated from high school and had completed
his nine months mandatory military training, his grandfather sent him
to France for a year to perfect his French. He was already proficient
in English, German, and Russian. In 1931 he went to the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to study architecture where he
completed the four and a half year program in three and a half years.
He was also awarded a medal given to one student out of each class of
eleven hundred.
Searching for a career and
happiness:
Upon his return to Sweden his
grandfather encouraged him to study commerce and banking, but Raoul
did not feel that he was built to work in the industry that had
brought such success to his uncles. He spent 6 months in South Africa
for a Swedish building firm. Then, he traveled to Palestine and
worked for a few months in a Dutch bank. It was here that he met
Jewish refugees escaping the ills of Nazism. He was deeply affected.
In 1936, he returned home where his uncle's good business connections
got a job for him in The Central European Trading Company through
Jewish owner, Koloman Lauer. Within six months he became a junior
partner and international director. This allowed for him to travel
widely around Europe.
Finding Budapest:
When troubles arose in
Budapest and the need for intervention was brought before the Joint
Jewish Committee in Sweden, member Koloman Lauer suggested his
partner for the mission. After a meeting that lasted into the early
morning hours with War Refugee Board Representative, Ivar Olsen,
Raoul was asked to accept the mission.
1912-Born in Stockholm Sweden
1930-Graduated from high school with high grades
in drawing and Russian
1931-Studied at the University of Michigan
1934-35-Traveled to South Africa
1936-Moved to Haifa, Palestine
1936-Returned home and worked for Koloman Lauer
in the Central European Trading Company
1944-Arrives in Budapest
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