Dag Hammarskjöld

Dag Hammarskjöld was believed to be homosexual though there is no conclusive evidence to suggest the same.

In the midst of the Congo crisis, he learned that fighting had erupted between Katanga troops and the noncombatant forces of the UN. Hammarskjöld was on his way to negotiate a cease-fire on 18 September 1961, just after midnight, when his plane crashed down near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), killing him and 15 others. Some recent evidence suggests the plane was shot down.

In 1997, the U.N. Security Council established the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal in recognition and commemoration of those who have lost their lives as a result of UN peacekeeping operations.

Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was born on 29 July 1905 in Jönköping, Sweden, as the fourth and youngest son of Hjalmar Hammarskjöld and Agnes Hammarskjöld (née Almquist). His father, a prominent politician later served as the Prime Minister of Sweden and was chairman of the Board of the Nobel Foundation.

Dag Hammarskjöld studied at Katedralskolan and then at Uppsala University from where he earned a degree in humanities in 1925. He then proceeded to complete a second degree in economics three years later.

He also studied law, completing his degree in 1930 and was appointed the Secretary of a governmental committee on unemployment, a post he served in until the completion of his doctorate in economics in 1934.

He also loved poetry, music and painting. In addition, he was an athletic young man and a competent performer in gymnastics, with interests in mountaineering and skiing as well.

He embarked on a successful career as a Swedish public servant, becoming the Secretary of the Sveriges Riksbank in 1936. He rose up the ranks quickly and served as Chairman of the bank from 1941 and 1948.

His stance as a diplomat continued to rise and in 1946 he became the financial adviser of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1949, he was named Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in 1951 became the deputy foreign minister. Throughout this period, he stayed clear from affiliating himself with any political party.

He promoted a policy of international economic cooperation and collaborated on the political level in the Council of Europe and on the economic level in the Organization of European Economic Cooperation.

He played a major role in coordinating government plans to alleviate the economic problems in the period following the World War II. He represented Sweden as a delegate to the United Nations in 1949 and in 1951. Hammarskjöld was Vice Chairman of the Swedish delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in Paris.

Dag Hammarskjöld was elected Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1953 for a five-year term. Receiving 57 votes out of 60, he was the first to be elected unanimously to the position. He was re-elected in 1957.

Much praised and respected for his commitment to peace during the civil war in the Congo, he made four trips to the newly independent African country, to take up the various social and political problems stemming in the nation. Hammarskjöld was made in charge of operations of the UN peace-keeping force. The Soviet Union, however, criticized his efforts and demanded his resignation. But he remained steadfast in his efforts and refused to resign under pressure.