Johan Hultman

Johan Erik Evald Hultman (10 April 1876 – 9 November 1958) was a Swedish diplomat. Hultman began his diplomatic career in the early 1900s, serving in various roles including attaché and vice consul in cities such as London, Saint Petersburg, and Shanghai. In China, he supported Swedish missionary work and played a key role in diplomatic and legal initiatives, including consular court reforms and industrial agreements. By 1914, he became Sweden's top consular authority in China, reflecting the growing importance of Shanghai in Swedish foreign policy. Later, he served as consul general in Hamburg and held ambassadorial roles in Tokyo, Beijing, and Bangkok during the 1920s and 1930s.

Early life Hultman was born on 10 April 1876 in Malmö, Sweden, the son of , a factory owner, and his wife Eveline (née Svensson). He was the brother of . He passed studentexamen in 1893 and after a few years of employment in a store, Hultman devoted himself to studying abroad for some years. He studied at Lund University but had to discontinue his studies due to illness. After spending several years in a sanatorium in Switzerland, he joined the family business, working at the office in Stockholm. Two years later, he resumed his studies, this time in Uppsala. He received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Uppsala University in 1903 with a major in language He also participated in initiatives like drafting proposals for an international consular court in Guangzhou and negotiated industrial property rights agreements with other Western nations in China. In 1914, administrative authority over Sweden's consular service in China was transferred from Envoy Gustaf Wallenberg to Hultman, highlighting Shanghai's rising importance for Sweden. Hultman received a substantial salary increase, making Shanghai Sweden's third most costly consular post after New York City and London.

Hultman was chargé d'affaires in Helsinki in 1920 and consul general in Hamburg in 1921. He was then envoy in Tokyo from 1928 to 1936, envoy in Beijing from 1929 to 1936 (accredited from Tokyo) and envoy in Bangkok from 1931 to 1936 (accredited from Tokyo). Hultman was the father of Brita (1912–1975).

Awards and decorations

Honours Jubilee Doctor of Philosophy, Uppsala University (1953)