Ivar Kreuger
 Ivar Kreuger    (businessman) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 March 1880 Kalmar, Sweden |
| Died | 1932 (Age 52) Paris, France |
Cause of death | gunshot |
| Victim of | premature death |
| Interest of | Marcus Laurentius Wallenberg |
Swedish match tycoon who was shot dead in a Paris hotel in 1932 | |
Ivar Kreuger was a Swedish match tycoon.[1] When he died the Wallenberg family quickly scooped up a large part of his businesses empire, including LM Ericson.
Background
Kreuger inherited a match factory from his father.
Death
Shot dead in a Paris hotel.[1]
On March 12, 1932, Kreuger was found dead in his bed in his Paris hotel. He was found by two people, one of whom was his housekeeper. She was instructed to go to the police and report what happened. She informed them that "Ivar Kreuger has committed suicide". This statement then had devastating consequences, partly for the police investigation itself but also for the handling that the incident received in the mass media.
Shortly after Kreuger's death, a medical examiner, associate professor Erik Karlmark, conducted a preliminary examination of Kreuger's body, including in the presence of Kreuger's then 22-year-old niece Eva Dyrssen. Karlmark exclaimed: "This is not a suicide. It's a murder. " And he stated that it was a stab wound. After that, the then governor of Stockholm, Nils Eden, decided that no autopsy would be performed, despite the family's wishes. The body was then cremated very quickly.[2]
