Dag Hammarskjöld

Swedish diplomat, economist, and author (1905-1961)

Source-basedFalling

Lived 1905–1961, aged 56Sweden

Sweden PoliticiansPolitician

Fame27.0
Momentum0.0
Sweden rank#38
Politicians rank#238
Wikipedia28.7K

Wikipedia
95 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Sweden
#38
Politicians
Era
1905–1961
Aged 56

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Ran the UN as its second Secretary-General from 1953 until a fatal plane crash in 1961, at 47 the youngest person to ever hold the job. Swedish diplomat and economist whose tenure spanned the Cold War's tensest years.

Biography

About

Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. As of 2026, he remains the youngest person to have held the post, having been only 47 years old when he was elected. He was a son of Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917.

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