Raoul Wallenberg Biography

Hi everyone,

Excited to share the Raoul Wallenberg biography. I’m trying something a bit different with this release: the biography will be published in parts, with a new section going out each day this week through Friday. This will also be this week’s schedule of new snapshots.

For paid subscribers, the final part will include a PDF version of the full biography. You’re welcome to comment or send me questions throughout.

Thank you for spending a little of your weekend here. And as always, all feedback is appreciated.

The following is part I.

Best,

Roman

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Introduction

“Whoever saves a single soul, it is as if he had saved the whole world.” - The Talmud

Worn, weary, with thinning hair and sad eyes, Raoul Wallenberg looked older than his 31 years of age when he became a Swedish diplomat in Hungary in 1944. His mission was to save Jewish people from Nazi persecution, which by then had already led to the murder of an estimated five million across Europe in what would become known as the Holocaust.

For Hungary’s Jewish population, Raoul’s help came at a dire time. Just months before his arrival in July, the country remained one of the few in Europe whose Jewish community had largely been spared the worst of the violence. Hungary’s leader, Regent Miklós Horthy, had resisted Nazi pressure for deportations to concentration camps, despite an alliance with Germany and his own anti-Semitic views.

That fragile protection ended on March 19, 1944. Fearing that shifting war momentum would lead Hungary to switch alliances, Germany invaded and quickly seized control of the country that day. With their rule came new policies, deportations, and murder. Approximately 400,000 of Hungary’s 750,000 Jewish residents would be killed over the following few months.

Understanding that wasted time meant more deaths, Raoul worked with a singular sense of purpose, doing anything necessary to keep Jewish people and others at risk safe. He employed diplomatic means whenever viable but also resorted to bribery, extortion, bluffing, and cajoling when necessary. “I’ve taken on this assignment, and I will never be able to go back to Stockholm without knowing inside myself that I’d done all a man could do to save as many Jews as possible,”¹ he told a colleague.

As a result of Raoul’s efforts, tens of thousands, with some estimates around 100,000 people survived. And in the words of one woman rescued by him: “He was a living hero. He shows that one person can make a big difference.”²

Sadly, Raoul wasn’t able to prevent his own tragic fate. As Soviet forces took control of Budapest in January of 1945, they arrested him on suspicion of espionage. The reasons for the charge and what happened afterward remain unclear. It’s widely believed that Raoul died in a Soviet prison within a few years. But his exact fate remains a mystery to this day.

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Raoul’s choice to walk away from a life of wealth, comfort, and relative stability in a country that stayed neutral during the war and instead step into the horrors of the Holocaust and warfare begs many questions. At the root of which is: why would he do that? One goal of this biography is to explore this question. The other is simply to journey through Raoul’s short but extraordinary life.

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Chapter 1: Early Years

“From the very start he was the joy of the family...He was the sweetest of brothers, and I adored him.”³ - Nina Lagergren, Raoul’s sister

Raoul’s birth in Lidingö, Sweden, on August 4, 1912, came during a time of great sorrow for the Wallenberg family. His father, Raoul Oscar Wallenberg, had died of stomach cancer just three months prior at twenty-three years old. Raoul’s grieving mother, Maj, only twenty-one herself, still wept often as she took on the responsibility of raising her son. She wrote her mother-in-law, whom she referred to simply as “Mother”:

“With each passing day life feels harder and this endless emptiness and longing grows bigger and bigger. How will this end? … Oh, Mother, what shall become of our little one? I wonder so if I will be up to the challenge of raising the child into a good person. Poor thing – to have lost a father.”⁴

Another tragedy soon befell the family. Just a month after Raoul’s birth, Maj’s own father died of pneumonia. Still mourning her husband, Maj moved into her mother’s home, bringing Raoul with her. There, the two women grieved together while showering the baby with love and care. As a family member would later remark: “All of a sudden, in that once-happy house, there were two widows and this baby boy,” who “received so much love that he grew up to be an unusually generous, loving, and compassionate person.”⁵

Amid all the sadness, Maj began raising Raoul, centering his upbringing on a wish his father had shared shortly before passing away: “I will be happy if only little Baby becomes a nice and good and simple person,”⁶ he had told her. It was an odd request on the surface. The Wallenberg’s were one of the most prominent and wealthiest families in Sweden. But their family motto was “To be, not to be seen.”⁷ They had an ethos of working hard and doing good for society.

Along with taking her late husband’s request to heart, Maj also decided to keep his memory present, hanging up his photograph above her son’s bed. “Daddy there,”⁸ the young boy would remark at the photo.

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While despair certainly marked these life years, Maj luckily had the support of the Wallenberg family through all of the struggles. They came together to help provide her and young Raoul stability. And Maj healed with their help. After a few years, she married a man who cared deeply for Raoul and provided a warm and supportive home life. Raoul also got a brother and sister from the marriage, with whom he would remain close throughout his life. But of all the family members, it was Raoul’s paternal grandfather, Gustav, who took on the most active role, becoming a particularly important influence.

Like many in the Wallenberg family, Gustav was renowned in Sweden. In his earlier years, he had served as a Swedish diplomat in Japan and China. He would later hold the same role in Turkey.

Determined to see his grandson molded into a man of influence capable of maintaining and extending the Wallenberg family legacy, Gustav encouraged Raoul through financial support and personal counsel while always stressing the importance of success. In one letter to Raoul from 1929, Gustav wrote:

“When one comes from a family in which several generations have managed to acquire a certain reputation for competence and skill, it is more important than ever that you understand how unacceptable failure is as a legacy. The fact that one generation has succeeded financially makes it almost harder for those who follow.”⁹

While the tone of Gustav’s guidance reads as domineering and pressure-filled, and in many ways it would be, he and Raoul had a loving and caring relationship. Raoul’s many letters to his grandfather are warm and appreciative. As he wrote in one in 1932:

“I want to express my deep gratitude, which I owe you not only for the financial responsibilities you undertake for my sake, but because I know that I am the constant object of your concern and love.”¹⁰

Gustav would make many recommendations to Raoul about life decisions. Amongst them, one of the first significant was to attend college in the U.S. His reasoning is made clear in a letter to Raoul:

“The curriculum offered by an American school is in no way superior or even equal to that offered in Sweden. No, what I am trying to give you is completely different: insight into the American frame of mind, the kind of upbringing aimed at teaching men to be self-reliant, even to feel that they are better than others, which may just be the basis and the source of America’s position of leadership today.”¹¹

As with many of his grandfather’s suggestions, Raoul heeded the advice. His chosen destination for undergraduate studies, the University of Michigan, was also recommended by his grandfather. Gustav believed that because the university was located in a small town in the Midwest, it would lead to a quieter and more focused experience. Perhaps just right for a young man.

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Chapter 2: Catching the American Spirit

“When you travel like a hobo, everything’s different. You take it for granted that you’ll have to be on the alert the whole time… You’re in close contact with new people each and every day. Hitchhiking gives you training in diplomacy and tact.”¹² - Raoul Wallenberg, 1933

Raoul arrived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1931 amidst the financial devastation of the Great Depression ravaging America. Two years earlier, on October 29, 1929, a torrent of stock market sell-offs triggered panic on Wall Street. As stock prices fell, billions of dollars in paper wealth evaporated in a matter of hours. It was the largest market loss in history at the time. The day would be remembered as “Black Tuesday.”

But while the sell-off didn’t directly cause the ensuing economic turmoil, it sparked the beginnings. Angst spread quickly. Panicked investors selling led to panicked citizens lining up at banks to withdraw funds from their accounts out of fear that the money would become inaccessible. This had catastrophic consequences. Banks didn’t have enough cash on hand to meet the demands. The deposits had been loaned out or lost in failed investments. And so, one by one, the banks collapsed, ironically turning people’s fear into reality. Millions of customers who couldn’t withdraw their money in time lost their accounts, along with all the savings.

The unraveling of the banking system had other significant impacts as well. Many businesses could no longer secure loans. Thousands shuttered without access to capital. Jobs vanished as a result. By 1933, unemployment had reached nearly 25%, affecting about 12 million Americans.

The fallout rippled further outward, blanketing the country with widespread suffering.  Having lost savings and their jobs, people then lost their homes. Some moved in with relatives, packing entire households into a single room. Others built shantytowns from scraps of wood and tin, clustered near train tracks, under bridges, or by garbage dumps. These settlements became known as “Hoovervilles,” a bitter nod to the president many blamed for their pain.

The agony of the Great Depression's impact could be felt and seen almost everywhere. In cities nationwide, lines snaked around soup kitchens as people stood waiting for a bowl of stew. Marriages frayed. Birthrates fell. School attendance dropped. People lost faith in the economy, in government, and sometimes in each other.

Ann Arbor, however, was one of the few places somewhat insulated from the tragedy. A small, charming town, it had been granted the state charter to house the public university in 1837 after losing out to Lansing in a bid to become the state capital. Built mostly around the university, the town’s population hovered around 30,000, with nearly a third made up of students by the early 1930s. As a result, the economy largely revolved around the university, which continued to enroll students and receive public funding for additional support, providing a degree of stability for the town.

Raoul arrived excited. His grandfather had often spoken of America with admiration and gusto. But Raoul’s first impressions didn’t quite match the picture Gustav had painted. In a letter to Gustav, he wrote:

“As a matter of fact, I’ve been a little upset that I haven’t experienced the powerful impressions of America of which you spoke and to which you attributed both your own and your father’s later development. But I think I’ve found a natural explanation for the disparity. I assume that when you first came here America did not enjoy a particularly high reputation in Sweden, and that what you found made all that much more powerful an impression because it was new and surprising. Secondly, I assume that American inventions and experiments had not yet reached Sweden, which primarily happened during your generation, and that consequently what appeared like a huge gap between America and Sweden was not a difference in degree so much as in principle. Thirdly, you spent your time in large cities, where the American spirit finds its most overwhelming material expression.”¹³

Still, Raoul began school enthusiastically, focusing his studies on architecture, the field he wanted to work in after graduation. He would begin his days at 7am with a coffee and toast and stay busy until late in the evening.

By this point in his life, Raoul was known for being serious and goal-oriented, yet also funny and artistic with a talent for doing impressions, and he was a polyglot who spoke Swedish, English, French, Russian and German. He liked people and people liked him. And while he did have periods of loneliness and boredom while in Ann Arbor, he soon made good friends.

Through them, we get some more insight into Raoul’s personality. One described Raoul as:

“A very talented yet modest person who showed great insight in finding simple solutions to complex problems. Neither his conduct nor his manner of dress gave anyone who knew him the slightest clue to his high station in life as a member of one of Sweden’s most distinguished families.”¹⁴

Another said about Raoul that he was “full of energy, good humor and generally a good guy,” who “always thought through to the essence.”¹⁵

As Raoul settled into his American life, he also found himself challenged by Gustav in a new way. Gustav, wanting Raoul to meet more people, particularly those of influence, wrote his grandson about one specific trip:

“Where you will stand out when you return to Sweden is in your knowledge of human nature and experience with life. During your studies in Ann Arbor, you have already had the opportunity to exchange ideas with people who live and think differently from us. I don’t mean that the American way of thinking is superior to ours. But it is different. So you are already ahead of the game through your contact with young people in Ann Arbor. My plan now is to place you even further ahead by putting you in touch with the right people during a vacation trip to California so that you might profit by their experience and their views on life.”¹⁶

Encouraged by his grandfather, Raoul set out to explore the country, eager to meet Americans and see the diverse areas that shaped the nation. For these travels, he chose to hitchhike. Money was tight during the Depression, and he disliked train travel, preferring a simpler, more personal way of being on the road. It also fit well into the culture of the country. While the times brought immense anguish, they also fostered solidarity and offers to help, including in how people commuted. Drivers placed signs in their windshields reading, “Let’s go, America - Ask for a Ride.”

Raoul loved this way of travel. But even with the communal feel, it wasn’t without risk. During one trip, he experienced a harrowing encounter after being picked up by a group. Raoul later described the experience:

“Suddenly we heard a noise from the back of the car, and the driver stopped to see what it was. It surprised me that they all had to get out of the car for this. Suddenly another car passed us, and the four of them got back in. By now I had become very suspicious because of their questions about money, their lack of luggage and the sudden stop, I started to work my poverty into the conversation. Suddenly the car turned onto a country lane so abruptly that it almost turned over. Fearing the worst I tried to keep a cool head so as not to make things worse. After another couple of miles through a dark forest they stopped after a rather clumsy and theatrical bluff: ‘Get out and see what’s the matter with the gas tank, Joe.’

They got out one after the other and then I was asked to get out ‘so that they could take a look at me.’ One of them had a large revolver in his hand. It might not have been loaded.

They demanded my money, and I gave them what I had in my breast pocket and said I had more in my suitcase. They opened it and took out an envelope that in addition to money contained some papers and the key to my safety-deposit box. The latter items, I managed to retrieve by bluffing. ‘Sentimental value to me, no value to you.’ I didn’t tell them it was the key to my bank deposit.

Maybe it was stupid of me to volunteer where I kept my money, but I’d heard so many stories about people being searched and occasionally left without any clothes at all. I did forget to tell them that I had three dollars in another pocket however. When they thought they had all my money, I decided it was their turn to show some goodwill, so I asked them to drive me back to the highway, since it was late and my suitcases were heavy. They let me sit next to the driver and then put the luggage on top to keep me from jumping. By this time they were the ones who were frightened, maybe because I was so calm. I didn’t really feel scared; I found the whole thing sort of interesting. Maybe they thought I was planning to lure them into a trap. The result was that all of a sudden they threw me into a ditch and then tossed my luggage after. I immediately flattened myself under a bush for fear that they might fire a farewell shot from the revolver.”¹⁷

Yet, even after being robbed, Raoul viewed the experience as simply part of life. It didn’t change his desire for hitchhiking, nor his curiosity about the country. Though the incident did teach him to be more careful and prepare better.

By the end of freshman year, Raoul’s perspective on America had changed. His early skepticism waned, giving way to genuine fondness and appreciation. He wrote Gustav:

“Looking back on the academic year I find that I’ve had just a wonderful time…I have lots of friends whom I like very much. People have been very nice and treat me well. My schoolwork has, on the whole, paid off not only when it comes to grades, because that isn’t too important, but because I really feel that I’ve learned something.”¹⁸

For Raoul, college life in America was becoming a delight. But while he studied architecture and explored a new country in these early years of the 1930s, Europe, Germany in particular, began undergoing one of the most significant political changes in modern history.