Per Anger

Per Johan Valentin Anger
Born(1913-12-07)7 December 1913
Gothenburg, Sweden
Died25 August 2002(2002-08-25) (aged 88)
Stockholm, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Alma materStockholm University
Uppsala University
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1940 to 1979
Known forAssisting Raoul Wallenberg in the rescue of Hungarian Jews from Nazis in World War II
SpouseElena Wikstrom Anger
Children3
Parent(s)David and Elsa Anger
Plaque on the site of the former Swedish embassy in Budapest, in honour of Carl-Ivan Danielsson, Raoul Wallenberg and Per Anger.

Per Johan Valentin Anger (7 December 1913 – 25 August 2002) was a Swedish diplomat. Anger was Raoul Wallenberg's co-worker at the Swedish legation in Budapest during World War II when many Jews were saved because they were supplied with Swedish passports. After the war, he spent a lot of time trying to clarify Wallenberg's fate.

Early life

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Anger was born on 7 December 1913 in Gothenburg, Sweden, the son of gatudirektören David Anger and his wife Elsa Berglund.[1] Anger studied law at Stockholm University and later at Uppsala University. After graduating in November 1939, he was drafted into the Army. Soon afterwards, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs offered him a trainee position at the Swedish legation in Berlin, which he began in January 1940.

Career

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Anger was assigned to the trade department, but after the legation received information about an impending Nazi attack on Norway and Denmark, he became involved in relaying intelligence to Stockholm. In June 1941, he returned to Stockholm, where he worked on trade relations between Sweden and Hungary. In November 1942, he was sent to Budapest as Second Secretary at the Swedish legation.[2]

After Germany invaded Hungary on 19 March 1944, Anger became involved in efforts to aid Hungarian Jews. Anger originated the idea of issuing Swedish provisional passports and special certificates to protect Jews from internment and deportation. Seven hundred of these documents were issued initially. Although the legality of the documents was doubtful, the Hungarian government agreed to recognize their bearers as Swedish citizens. On 9 July, Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest.[3] He immediately extended Anger's initiative, introducing colorful protective passes (Schutzpasse) and creating "safe houses" throughout the city. Anger and Wallenberg worked together, often literally snatching people from transports and death marches. After the Soviets invaded in January 1945, both Anger and Wallenberg were taken into custody. Anger was released three months later, but Wallenberg never emerged again, becoming one of the 20th century's most famous missing persons.[4]

After the war, Anger served in numerous diplomatic posts in Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Austria and the United States. He later became head of Sweden's international aid program and served as ambassador to Australia, Canada and the Bahamas. Throughout his post-war career, Anger led efforts to learn what happened to Wallenberg, even meeting personally with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s. In 2000, the Russian government finally acknowledged that Wallenberg and his driver died in Soviet custody in 1947, although the exact circumstances of their deaths remain unclear.

Personal life

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In 1943, Anger married Elena Wikström (born 1920), the daughter of ryttmästare Nils Wikström and Corinna Autenrieth. They had three children: Birgitta (born 1944), Jan (born 1946), and Peter (born 1955).[1]

Death

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Anger died in Stockholm after suffering a stroke.[5]

Awards and honours

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Awards

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Honors

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In 1982, Anger was recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations[8] and in 1995 he was honored with the Hungarian Republic's Order of Merit.

In 1995, Anger was awarded the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan in recognition of his extraordinary courage and humanitarian commitment.

In 2000, he was awarded honorary Israeli citizenship. In 2001, the American Swedish Historical Museum presented him with the Spirit of Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award.

In April, 2002 Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson awarded Anger the Illis quorum Meruere Labores (For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It) for his actions during and after the war. This is the highest award that can be conferred upon an individual Swedish citizen by the Government of Sweden.

Per Anger Prize

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The Per Anger Prize was instituted by the Swedish Government to honor the memory of ambassador Per Anger and is awarded for humanitarian work and initiatives in the name of democracy. The prize is awarded to individuals or groups who have distinguished themselves either in the past or in more recent times.[9] The Prize is administered and awarded by the Forum for Living History.

Prize winners

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Name Year Awarded Reason
Gennaro Verolino 2004 Saved over 30,000 Jews from the Holocaust[10]
Arsen Sakalov 2005 The teacher who became a human rights activist in the Russian autonomous republic Ingushia
Ales Bialiatski 2006 The human rights fighter acting against the Belarusian regime
Yolanda Becerra 2007 Chairperson for the women's rights organisation Organización Femenina Popular
Sebastian Bakare 2008 Fighting the rights of the vulnerable in Zimbabwe
Brahim Dahane 2009 Founder of the human rights organisation ASVDH working in Western Sahara
Elena Urlaeva 2010 Fighting for the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly in Uzbekistan
Narges Mohammadi 2011 Working for human rights in Iran
Sapiyat Magomedova 2012 Defending human rights in Dagestan
Justine Ijeomah 2013 Fighting against violation of human rights in Nigeria
Rita Mahato 2014 Fighting against sexual violence aimed towards women and girls in Nepal
Islena Rey Rodríguez 2015 Fighting against violence and human rights violations in Colombia
Abdullah al-Khateeb 2016 Fighting for human rights in Syria
Gégé Katana Bukuru 2017 Fighting for women's rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo[11]
Teodora del Carmen Vásquez 2018 Fighting for women's rights in El Salvador[12]
Najwa Alimi 2019 Fighting for freedom of speech and women's rights in Afghanistan
Intisar Al-Amyal 2020 Fighting for women's rights in Iraq
S'bu Zikode 2021 Working for the rights of poor people in South Africa
Anabela Lemos 2022 Fighting for climate justice in Mozambique
Malú García Andrade 2023 Demanding justice for disappeared and murdered girls and women in Mexico

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1962). Vem är vem? [Who's Who?] (in Swedish). Vol. 1, Stor–Stockholm (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. p. 53. SELIBR 53509.
  2. ^ Per Anger. Swedish diplomat who, along with Raoul Wallenberg, saved thousands of Jews from Nazi death camps (The Guardian, 29 August 2002)
  3. ^ " Per Anger Secretary of the Swedish Legation in Budapest, Hungary, 1944-45", The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
  4. ^ Per Anger, Co-saviour with Raoul Wallenberg of Hungarian Jews (Independent.co.uk. August 30, 2002)
  5. ^ "Per Anger, 88, a Diplomat Who Helped Jews, Is Dead". The New York Times. August 29, 2002.
  6. ^ Regeringens belöningsmedaljer och regeringens utmärkelse Professors namn. SB PM, 99-0433409-9 ; 2006:1 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Statsrådsberedningen, Regeringskansliet. 2006. p. 19. SELIBR 10400721.
  7. ^ "Anfragebeantwortung" [Response to inquiries] (PDF) (in German). Austrian Parliament. 23 April 2012. p. 52. 10542/AB XXIV. GP. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  8. ^ Per Anger Archived 2015-07-22 at the Wayback Machine - his activity to save Jews' lives during the Holocaust, at Yad Vashem website
  9. ^ Forum För Levande Historia http://www.levandehistoria.se/projekt/peranger/english/about
  10. ^ Antonio Pintauro. "Diocesi di Acerra - Una scuola a Budapest per Verolino". diocesiacerra.it. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  11. ^ Forum For Living History https://www.levandehistoria.se/english/about-us/anger-prize/prize-winners/2017-gege-katana-bukuru
  12. ^ "Teodora del Carmen Vásquez får Per Anger-priset 2018". Forum för levande historia (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-10-11.

Other sources

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  • Skoglund, Elizabeth (1997). A quiet courage: Per Anger, Wallenberg's co-liberator of Hungarian Jews. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books. ISBN 0801011256. SELIBR 5667817.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Manne Lindholm
Consul-general of Sweden to San Francisco
1961–1966
Succeeded by
Carl Henrik Petersén
Preceded by
Gösta af Petersens
Ambassador of Sweden to Australia
1970–1975
Succeeded by
Per Lind
Preceded by
Åke Malmaeus
Ambassador of Sweden to Canada
1976–1979
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
Ambassador of Sweden to The Bahamas
1976–1979
Succeeded by