John Oscar Fredholm
John Oscar Fredholm (1875-1926)
1926 Obituary [1]
JOHN OSCAR FREDHOLM, Managing Director of Finspongs Metallverks Aktiebolag (Finspong Metal Works), died on August 12, 1926, after a short illness.
Born on March 25, 1875, in Stockholm, he graduated from the Royal Institute of Technology of Stockholm in 1896.
Being a son of one of the founders of the Allmanna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) at Viistertis, it was quite natural that he devoted his energies to electrotechnics.
He joined the ASEA, and was till 1919 the Managing Director of its daughter company, Skandinaviska Elektricitetsverk. During this period, characterized by the exploitation of the Swedish waterfalls and the electrification of the country, he furthered materially the economical advance of his country, both as a technical expert and as administrator of a large number of plants.
He was also a member of many technical societies and committees, and took an interest in public matters.
During the Great War he was busily engaged on several State Commissions, especially in the British Section of the Swedish Commercial Commission, of which he was Chairman. For his work in this direction Mr. Fredholm received the honorary title of Consul-General.
The Finspong Metal Works secured his services in 1919 as Managing Director. In that position he showed remarkable ability, especially during the financial crisis of inflation which brought great difficulty upon Swedish industry. He was most successful in piloting his firm through the crisis. Mr. Fredholm was a modest man, but his name will remain inseparably connected with the evolution of Swedish technics and Swedish industry, to which he dedicated his powers until the last.
He was elected a Member of the Institute of Metals on December 28, 1923.