The 1976 visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to the United States was the first state visit by a reigning Monarch of Sweden to the United States. The visit, planned as part of the United States Bicentennial celebrations and one of several from foreign heads of states, marked a warming in Swedish–American relations after the Vietnam War. [1] The 27-day tour lasted from April 2 to April 30, and included a formal reception by President Gerald Ford at the White House, as well as visits to Swedish American communities and other sites in 12 states.
King Carl XVI Gustaf ascended the throne in 1973, succeeding his grandfather Gustaf VI Adolf at the age of 27. During Gustaf's reign, anti-war protests in Sweden had led to the recalling of the U.S. Ambassador in 1968 and the freezing of relations in 1972. [2] Gustaf VI Adolf himself was critical of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, calling for an end to the "merciless bombing" of Hanoi as part of Operation Linebacker II. [3] [4] Gustaf VI Adolf had visited the United States in 1926 and 1938 as Crown Prince, but no reigning Swedish monarch had traveled to the United States. [3]
The upcoming U.S. Bicentennial celebration in 1976, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the nation's declaration of independence, was seen as an opportunity to invite the young king for a symbolic visit and repair relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was central to Sweden's hostilities with the United States during the Vietnam War, visited Moscow instead to promote Sweden's neutral stance during the ongoing Cold War. [1] Minnesota Governor Wendell R. Anderson, an American of Swedish descent, traveled to Stockholm in July to meet the king and present a formal invitation on behalf of several Swedish American associations. [5] [6] A group of 20 Secret Service agents were dispatched by the U.S. government for the royal visit. [7]
King Carl XVI Gustaf and the nine members of the royal party, including Ambassador to the United States Wilhelm Wachtmeister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Andersson, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on April 2. [8] The party was flown to Newport News, Virginia, [9] and toured historic Williamsburg before meeting Virginia congressman Robert Daniel at his home in Prince George County on April 3. [10]
The King arrived in Washington, D.C., on April 4, touring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and National Air and Space Museum. [11] He was received by President Gerald Ford at the White House on April 5, engaging in a conversation in the Oval Office with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger that morning. [12] He spent the evening at a dinner at the residence of Ambassador Wachtmeister, inviting Kissinger, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, Chief Justice Warren Burger, and Senators of Swedish descent. [13] The King departed Washington for Philadelphia on April 6, where he toured the American Swedish Historical Museum, whose cornerstone was laid in a 1938 by then-Crown Prince Gustaf VI Adolf. [14] In Philadelphia, he also toured the Liberty Bell with Mayor Frank Rizzo and Tinicum Island in the Delaware River. On April 8, the King visited the community of Swedesboro, New Jersey, accompanied by New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne, and was received by 2,000 of its residents. The visits to Tinicum and Swedesboro were part of a commemoration of the founding of New Sweden in the 17th century by Swedish immigrants. [15]
The King arrived in Minneapolis on April 8, visiting Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, meeting with Governor Anderson, and speaking to a crowd of 8,500 at the Minneapolis Auditorium the following day. [16] [17]
The King flew to Seattle, Washington, on April 10, arriving to a crowd of 300 onlookers at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. [18] The following day, he dedicated the Ballard Avenue Historic District in the city's Scandinavian enclave, Ballard, with Mayor Wes Uhlman, and addressed the Swedish Club of Ballard. [19] The King opened a photography exhibit of the Swedish Americans in the Puget Sound region at the University of Washington, where he visited the university's Scandinavian department. [7] He embarked on a helicopter tour of Weyerhaeuser's timber and forestry operations in the region, including a tour of the company's headquarters in Federal Way. [20] At an evening banquet, the King decorated five Seattleites of Swedish descent with the Order of the Polar Star, and was received by Governor of Washington Daniel J. Evans. [21]
The King arrived in San Francisco on April 13, touring the University of California at Berkeley campus and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The royal entourage had planned to ride on Bay Area Rapid Transit and the city's cable car system, but potential picketing from workers on strike forced the plan to be shelved. [22] [23] He traveled to Los Angeles the following day and toured The Burbank Studios and a McDonnell Douglas factory to observe the construction of a Scandinavian Airlines DC-10 jet. The King was received by 200 Hollywood personalities at a lunch hosted by Edgar Bergen, a Swedish American comedian. [24]
The King flew to Aspen, Colorado for two days of recreation at the Vail Ski Resort, a favorite of President Ford's, on April 15. [25] He skied for several hours, accompanied by Secret Service agents, while wearing a ski outfit in the colors of the Swedish flag. [26] The King made a visit to Lindsborg, Kansas on April 17, arriving two hours late due to inclement weather, and was greeted by a crowd of 5,000 people (which outnumbered the town's population of 2,600) and Kansas Governor Robert Frederick Bennett. [27] The town, a Swedish American community with annual Swedish festivals, received the King at the preserved Swedish pavilion from the 1904 World's Fair, as part of a town-wide celebration. [28] The royal motorcade had moved quickly through the town, due to the delayed arrival, causing onlookers to react in disappointment over the brevity of the visit. [29]
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The King attended an Easter service at Chicago's Ebenezer Lutheran Church on April 18, located in the city's Swedish enclave, with Illinois Governor Dan Walker; at the time, he was recovering from a sore throat. Later in the day, he visited the offices of Chicago-based Swedish newspaper Svenska Amerikanaren Tribunen and dedicated the new Swedish American Museum in Andersonville. [30] [31] [32]
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she would be Sweden's fourth queen regnant and the first since 1720. Her inheritance is secured by Sweden's 1979 Act of Succession, the first law in Western Europe to adopt royal absolute primogeniture.
Carl XVI Gustaf is King of Sweden.
Silvia is Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf. She has held this title since her marriage to Carl Gustaf in 1976. The king and queen have three children: Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine.
Swedesboro is a borough within Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,711, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 127 (+4.9%) from the 2,584 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 529 (+25.7%) from the 2,055 counted in the 2000 census. Swedesboro and surrounding Gloucester County constitute part of South Jersey.
Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Värmland is the only son and the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. As of 2022, Prince Carl Philip is fourth in the line of succession, after his older sister, Crown Princess Victoria, his niece and goddaughter Princess Estelle, and his nephew Prince Oscar. He lives with his wife, Princess Sofia, and three sons, Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel and Prince Julian in Villa Solbacken in Djurgården, Stockholm.
Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland is the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Upon her birth, she was third in line of succession to the Swedish throne; currently, she is eighth. Princess Madeleine is married to British-American financier Christopher O'Neill. They have three children, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas and Princess Adrienne.
Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland, was a member of the Swedish royal family. He was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, as well as the uncle of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. From 1973 to 1979, he was heir presumptive to his nephew Carl XVI Gustaf and the Swedish throne.
Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler, is a member of the Swedish royal family. She is the eldest child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the eldest sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld is a member of the Swedish royal family. She is the third child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and an elder sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, is a member of the Swedish royal family. She is the fourth child of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the youngest of the four older sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf. She generally uses the name Christina Magnuson.
The Ballard Avenue Historic District is a section of downtown Ballard in Seattle, Washington, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The district consists of Ballard Avenue N.W. between N.W. Market Street and N.W. Dock Place, and is located near to and along Salmon Bay. After initial work by the Ballard Avenue Association and the city of Seattle's Urban Conservation Division, Seattle mayor Wes Uhlman signed the ordinances that led to the national recognition of the area. The neighborhood of Ballard is known for a large historic population and presence of immigrants from Sweden, and King Gustaf of Sweden read the proclamation inducting the district to the historical registry in 1976, and at the same time dedicated the new bell tower at Ballard's Marvin's Garden Park, which housed the original bell from Ballard's old city hall. The historic markers that can be seen on 26 of the buildings were created and erected by the Ballard Historical Society.
Swedish Pavilion is a historic 1904 exposition building in Lindsborg, Kansas, United States. This building is contained on the grounds of the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum at 120 Mill Street.
Alexandra Charles is a Swedish former nightclub owner. With her first husband Noël Charles (1940–2013) she opened a membership restaurant-discothèque called Alexandra's in central Stockholm in 1968 which existed in four successive central locations in that city until 1988. They also initially had a club by the same name in his native Barbados.
Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, is a member of the Swedish royal family by marriage to Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden making Daniel the likely next prince consort of Sweden. Prior to his marriage to the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, he was a personal trainer and gym owner and ran a company called Balance Training with three gyms in central Stockholm.
Gustaf VI Adolf was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf Adolf ascended the throne, he had been crown prince for nearly 43 years during his father's reign. As king, and shortly before his death, he gave his approval to constitutional changes which removed the Swedish monarchy's last political powers. He was a lifelong amateur archeologist particularly interested in Ancient Italian cultures.
Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten was a Swedish prince who for most of his life was second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. He was the eldest son of Gustaf VI Adolf, who was crown prince for most of his son's life and ascended the Swedish throne three years after his son's death. The current king, Carl XVI Gustaf, is Prince Gustaf Adolf's son. The prince was killed on 26 January 1947 in an airplane crash at Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, Denmark.
The nations of Mexico and Sweden established diplomatic relations in 1885. Both members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations.
The New Sweden Farmstead Museum was an open-air museum in Bridgeton, New Jersey, United States. A recreation of a 17th-century Swedish farmstead, it was located in City Park, and served as a historical remembrance of the history of the Swedish and Finnish people who arrived as part of the colony of New Sweden in early America. Originally opened in 1988, it operated as a living museum for many years. As funding and attendance declined, the log buildings at the complex fell into disrepair, requiring it to close.
Events from the year 1976 in Sweden
Brazil–Sweden relations are the diplomatic relations between Brazil and Sweden. Both nations are members of the United Nations.