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{{Short description|German businessman; father of Queen Silvia of Sweden (1901–1990)}}
{{refimprove|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| birthname = Carl August Walther Sommerlath
| birth_name = Carl August Walther Sommerlath
| image =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|1|22|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|01|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Heidelberg]], [[Grand Duchy of Baden]], [[German Empire|Germany]]
| birth_place = [[Heidelberg]], [[Grand Duchy of Baden]], [[German Empire]]
| death_date ={{Death date and age|1990|10|21|1901|1|22|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1990|10|21|1901|01|22|df=y}}
| death_place =[[Heidelberg]], [[Germany]]
| death_place = [[Heidelberg]], [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]
| occupation =
| occupation =
| spouse =[[Alice Sommerlath|Alice Soares de Toledo]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Alice Sommerlath|Alice Soares de Toledo]]|1925}}
| children = Ralf Sommerlath<br>Walther Ludwig Sommerlath<br>Hans Jörg Sommerlath<br>[[Queen Silvia of Sweden|Silvia, Queen of Sweden]]
| children = Ralf Sommerlath<br>Walther Ludwig Sommerlath<br>Hans Jörg Sommerlath<br>[[Queen Silvia of Sweden|Silvia, Queen of Sweden]]
}}
}}


[[File:Grave Walther and Alice Sommerlath 2.JPG|thumb|240px|Grave of Walther and Alice Sommerlath]]
[[File:Grave Walther and Alice Sommerlath 2.JPG|thumb|240px|Grave of Walther, Alice and Jörg Sommerlath]]
'''Carl August ''Walther'' Sommerlath''' (22 January 1901 – 21 October 1990) was a [[Germany|German]] [[Businessperson|businessman]] and the father of [[Queen Silvia of Sweden]]. He was president of the Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish steel-parts manufacturer [[Böhler-Uddeholm|Uddeholm Tooling]] after [[World War II]].
'''Carl August Walther Sommerlath''' (22 January 1901 – 21 October 1990) was a German [[Businessperson|businessman]] and the father of [[Queen Silvia of Sweden|Queen Silvia]], consort of [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden|King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]].
After [[World War II]], Sommerlath served as president of a Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish steel-parts manufacturer [[Böhler-Uddeholm|Uddeholm Tooling]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
He was born and raised in [[Heidelberg]], [[Grand Duchy of Baden]], [[German Empire]] (now [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]). His parents were Louis Carl ''Moritz'' Sommerlath (1860–1930), who was born in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] in the United States, and was from an [[Coat of arms|armigerous]] family of the [[Germans|German]] [[Bourgeoisie]], and his wife ''Erna'' Sophie Christine Waldau (1864–1944).<ref>[http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00007257&tree=LEO Genealogics - Leo van de Pas - Walther Sommerlath].</ref> In the mid-1920s, Walther Sommerlath moved to [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] where he worked for the steel company [[Acus Roechling Boulerus do Brasil]], a subsidiary in the German steel group [[Roechling]].
Sommerlath was born and raised in [[Heidelberg]], [[Grand Duchy of Baden]] in the [[German Empire]] ([[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]). His parents were Louis Carl Moritz Sommerlath (1860–1930), who was born in [[Chicago]], in the [[United States]], and Erna Sophie Christine Waldau (1864–1944). In the mid-1920s, Walther Sommerlath moved to [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]], where he worked for the steel company Açus Roechling Boulerus do Brasil, a subsidiary in the German steel group [[Röchling Group|Röchling]].


==Marriage==
==Marriage==
On 10 December 1925, Sommerlath married the Brazilian [[Alice Sommerlath|Alice Soares de Toledo]] (1906–1997), in [[Santa Cecília, São Paulo]]. She was the daughter of Arthur Floriano de Toledo and his wife Elisa de Novaes Soares. The couple had four children:
Sommerlath became involved with a Brazilian woman, [[Alice Sommerlath|Alice Soares de Toledo]] (1906–1997). She was the daughter of Arthur Floriano de Toledo and his wife Elisa de Novaes Soares. On 10 December 1925, in [[Santa Cecília, São Paulo]], the couple married, eventually having four children:
*Ralf Sommerlath (born 1929)
*Ralf Sommerlath (born 26 November 1929)
*Walther Ludwig Sommerlath (born 1934)
*Walther Ludwig Sommerlath (1934–2020)
*Hans Jörg Sommerlath (1941–2006)
*Hans Jörg Sommerlath (1941–2006)
*[[Queen Silvia of Sweden|Silvia Renate Sommerlath]] (born 23 December 1943), married in 1976 to [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]]
*[[Queen Silvia of Sweden|Silvia Renate Sommerlath]] (born 23 December 1943), married in 1976 to [[King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]]


==Life in Germany==
==Life in Germany==
In 1938, Walther Sommerlath left Brazil and returned to Heidelberg. In 1939 he moved to the German capital [[Berlin]]. Between 1939 and 1943, Sommerlath ran a company in Berlin that was seized from its Jewish owners by the Nazis. The company manufactured [[weapon|arms]] to be used in the [[World War II|War]]. In 1943, Sommerlath’s plant was destroyed by [[Allies of World War II|allied]] bombs. Later that year, the Sommerlath family returned to Heidelberg.
In 1938, Walther Sommerlath left Brazil and returned to Heidelberg. In 1939, he moved to the German capital [[Berlin]]. Between 1939 and 1943, Sommerlath ran a company in Berlin that the Nazis had seized from its Jewish owners. This company manufactured [[weapon|arms]] used in World War II. In 1943, Sommerlath’s plant was destroyed by [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombs. Later that year, the Sommerlath family returned to Heidelberg.


After the war, in 1947 the Sommerlath family returned to Brazil, where Walther Sommerlath worked as the president of the Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish steel-parts manufacturer Uddeholm. The family finally moved back to Heidelberg in 1957. Walter Sommerlath died in Heidelberg in 1990.
After the war, in 1947 the Sommerlath family returned to [[Brazil]], where Walther Sommerlath worked as the president of the Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish steel-parts manufacturer Uddeholm. The family finally moved back to Heidelberg in 1957, and Sommerlath died in [[Heidelberg]] in October 1990.


===Membership of the Nazi Party===
===Membership in the Nazi Party===
{{Multiple issues|section=yes|
{{refimprove|section|date=September 2016}}
{{tone|section|date=September 2016}}
{{tone|section|date=September 2016}}
Not much is publicly known about Sommerlath's Nazi affiliations. Living as a German citizen in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]], Sommerlath joined the German National Socialist Worker's Party ([[NSDAP/AO]]) as an expatriate member on 1 December 1934. His member number was 3592030.{{cn|date=October 2016}} His brother Paul Sommerlath had joined the Party in 1933.{{cn|date=October 2016}} Most [[Germans in Brazil]] chose not to be members in the party.{{cn|date=October 2016}} Thus, Brazil's president, [[Getúlio Vargas]], found no real opposition when he decided to outlaw the party in 1938.{{cn|date=October 2016}}{{tone-inline|date=September 2016}} The Sommerlath brothers remained members of the Nazi party until the party was banned and dissolved by the Allies in 1945.{{cn|date=October 2016}}
}}
Not very much is publicly known about Sommerlath's Nazi affiliations. Living as a German citizen in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]], Sommerlath joined as an expatriate member the German National Socialist Worker's Party, [[NSDAP/AO]], on 1 December 1934, as member no. 3592030.{{cn|date=October 2016}} His brother [[Paul Sommerlath]] had joined the Party in 1933.{{cn|date=October 2016}} Most [[Germans in Brazil]] chose not to be members in the party.{{cn|date=October 2016}} This is why Brazil's president, [[Getulio Vargas]], found no real opposition when he decided to outlaw it (1938).{{cn|date=October 2016}}{{tone-inline|date=September 2016}} The Sommerlath brothers remained members of the Nazi party until the party was banned and dissolved by the allies in 1945.{{cn|date=October 2016}}


In 1976, when Silvia was to marry [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden|King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]], the Swedish daily ''[[Expressen]]'' interviewed Sommerlath about his Nazi background. In the interview, Sommerlath denied that he had any connections with the Nazi Party, saying that his only part of the War was his work at the arms factory in Berlin.
In 1976, when Silvia was about to marry [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden|King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]], the Swedish daily ''[[Expressen]]'' interviewed Sommerlath about his Nazi background. In the interview, Sommerlath denied that he had any connections with the Nazi Party, saying that his only participation in the war was his work at the arms factory in Berlin.


The [[Swedish Royal Family]] has declined to give out any information about the Queen's father's role in the war or the name and facts about his company. But on 16 May 2011, Queen Silvia announced that she would probe her father's alleged Nazi ties in reaction to a Swedish TV news magazine.<ref>{{cite news|title=Swedish queen to probe father's alleged Nazi ties|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/8517052/Swedish-queen-to-probe-fathers-alleged-Nazi-ties.html|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=May 16, 2011|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|accessdate=16 May 2011}}</ref>
The [[Swedish royal family]] has declined to comment on the Queen's father's role in the war or reveal other facts about his company. But on 16 May 2011, in reaction to a Swedish TV news magazine, Queen Silvia announced that she would probe her father's alleged Nazi ties.<ref>{{cite news|title=Swedish queen to probe father's alleged Nazi ties|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/8517052/Swedish-queen-to-probe-fathers-alleged-Nazi-ties.html|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=May 16, 2011|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|accessdate=16 May 2011}}</ref>

In 2020, a group of researchers announced newly discovered diaries and notes that indicate Walther Sommerlath participated in organizing the rescue of German, anti-Hitler resistance members and Jewish people during the war. After [[Claus von Stauffenberg]] had failed in his attempt to assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944, fifteen resistance members, along with a number of Jewish people, were smuggled to Sweden by train. Walther Sommerlath's name appears in documents originally held by German resistance member Otto Wegner. The train left some hundred kilometers southeast from Berlin containing furniture. When it arrived in Berlin, the furniture was removed, and the people loaded in, along with some concrete pillars to make up for the weight difference. The train arrived in [[Trelleborg]] in southern Sweden safely. Swedish diplomats, members of the Swedish church in Berlin and a few Germans are said to have been involved in the planning.<ref name="expressen">{{cite news |last1=Petersson |first1=Claes |title=Dokumenten: Silvias far smugglade motståndsmän |url=https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/dokumenten-silvias-far-smugglade-motstandsman/ |accessdate=2 July 2020 |work=Expressen |date=23 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="yle">{{cite news |last1=Tapiola |first1=Paula |title=Kuningatar Silvian isän natsimenneisyydestä uusia tietoja – auttoi salakuljettamaan vastarintamiehiä ulos natsi-Saksasta, vaikka oli natsipuolueen jäsen |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11224081 |accessdate=2 July 2020 |work=Yle |date=24 February 2020}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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* Rosvall, Ted, ''Bernadotteättlingar'', Falköping: Rosvall Royal Books, 1992, {{ISBN|91-630-1299-5}}
* Rosvall, Ted, ''Bernadotteättlingar'', Falköping: Rosvall Royal Books, 1992, {{ISBN|91-630-1299-5}}
* [http://www.wargs.com/royal/silvia.html Ancestry of Queen Silvia of Sweden]
* [http://www.wargs.com/royal/silvia.html Ancestry of Queen Silvia of Sweden]
* [https://www.aftonbladet.se/kungligt/a/OpJ2nw/drottning-silvias-far-raddade-judar-undan-nazismen Queen Silvia's father saved Jews from Nazism]
*[http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00007257&tree=LEO Genealogics - Leo van de Pas - Walther Sommerlath]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sommerlath, Walther}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sommerlath, Walther}}
[[Category:Brazilian people of German descent]]
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Heidelberg]]
[[Category:German people of American descent]]
[[Category:German people of American descent]]
[[Category:German emigrants to Brazil]]
[[Category:Nazi Party members]]

Latest revision as of 12:12, 23 December 2024

Walther Sommerlath
Born
Carl August Walther Sommerlath

(1901-01-22)22 January 1901
Died21 October 1990(1990-10-21) (aged 89)
Spouse
(m. 1925)
ChildrenRalf Sommerlath
Walther Ludwig Sommerlath
Hans Jörg Sommerlath
Silvia, Queen of Sweden
Grave of Walther, Alice and Jörg Sommerlath

Carl August Walther Sommerlath (22 January 1901 – 21 October 1990) was a German businessman and the father of Queen Silvia, consort of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

After World War II, Sommerlath served as president of a Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish steel-parts manufacturer Uddeholm Tooling.

Early life

[edit]

Sommerlath was born and raised in Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden in the German Empire (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). His parents were Louis Carl Moritz Sommerlath (1860–1930), who was born in Chicago, in the United States, and Erna Sophie Christine Waldau (1864–1944). In the mid-1920s, Walther Sommerlath moved to São Paulo, Brazil, where he worked for the steel company Açus Roechling Boulerus do Brasil, a subsidiary in the German steel group Röchling.

Marriage

[edit]

Sommerlath became involved with a Brazilian woman, Alice Soares de Toledo (1906–1997). She was the daughter of Arthur Floriano de Toledo and his wife Elisa de Novaes Soares. On 10 December 1925, in Santa Cecília, São Paulo, the couple married, eventually having four children:

Life in Germany

[edit]

In 1938, Walther Sommerlath left Brazil and returned to Heidelberg. In 1939, he moved to the German capital Berlin. Between 1939 and 1943, Sommerlath ran a company in Berlin that the Nazis had seized from its Jewish owners. This company manufactured arms used in World War II. In 1943, Sommerlath’s plant was destroyed by Allied bombs. Later that year, the Sommerlath family returned to Heidelberg.

After the war, in 1947 the Sommerlath family returned to Brazil, where Walther Sommerlath worked as the president of the Brazilian subsidiary of the Swedish steel-parts manufacturer Uddeholm. The family finally moved back to Heidelberg in 1957, and Sommerlath died in Heidelberg in October 1990.

Membership in the Nazi Party

[edit]

Not much is publicly known about Sommerlath's Nazi affiliations. Living as a German citizen in São Paulo, Brazil, Sommerlath joined the German National Socialist Worker's Party (NSDAP/AO) as an expatriate member on 1 December 1934. His member number was 3592030.[citation needed] His brother Paul Sommerlath had joined the Party in 1933.[citation needed] Most Germans in Brazil chose not to be members in the party.[citation needed] Thus, Brazil's president, Getúlio Vargas, found no real opposition when he decided to outlaw the party in 1938.[citation needed][tone] The Sommerlath brothers remained members of the Nazi party until the party was banned and dissolved by the Allies in 1945.[citation needed]

In 1976, when Silvia was about to marry King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the Swedish daily Expressen interviewed Sommerlath about his Nazi background. In the interview, Sommerlath denied that he had any connections with the Nazi Party, saying that his only participation in the war was his work at the arms factory in Berlin.

The Swedish royal family has declined to comment on the Queen's father's role in the war or reveal other facts about his company. But on 16 May 2011, in reaction to a Swedish TV news magazine, Queen Silvia announced that she would probe her father's alleged Nazi ties.[1]

In 2020, a group of researchers announced newly discovered diaries and notes that indicate Walther Sommerlath participated in organizing the rescue of German, anti-Hitler resistance members and Jewish people during the war. After Claus von Stauffenberg had failed in his attempt to assassinate Hitler on 20 July 1944, fifteen resistance members, along with a number of Jewish people, were smuggled to Sweden by train. Walther Sommerlath's name appears in documents originally held by German resistance member Otto Wegner. The train left some hundred kilometers southeast from Berlin containing furniture. When it arrived in Berlin, the furniture was removed, and the people loaded in, along with some concrete pillars to make up for the weight difference. The train arrived in Trelleborg in southern Sweden safely. Swedish diplomats, members of the Swedish church in Berlin and a few Germans are said to have been involved in the planning.[2][3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Swedish queen to probe father's alleged Nazi ties". The Telegraph. Associated Press. May 16, 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  2. ^ Petersson, Claes (23 February 2020). "Dokumenten: Silvias far smugglade motståndsmän". Expressen. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  3. ^ Tapiola, Paula (24 February 2020). "Kuningatar Silvian isän natsimenneisyydestä uusia tietoja – auttoi salakuljettamaan vastarintamiehiä ulos natsi-Saksasta, vaikka oli natsipuolueen jäsen". Yle. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
[edit]