(1905 – 1961) Served as the Second Secretary-General of the United Nations, 10 April, 1953 – 18 September, 1961. The circumstance of his death by plane crash remains controversial and is the subject of on-going official investigation.
“From generations of soldiers and government officials on my father’s side I inherited a belief that no life was more satisfactory than one of selfless service to your country – or humanity. This service required a sacrifice of all personal interests, but likewise the courage to stand up unflinchingly for your convictions. From scholars and clergymen on my mother’s side, I inherited a belief that, in the very radical sense of the Gospels, all men were equals as children of God, and should be met and treated by us as our masters in God.”
~ Dag Hammarskjöld, 1953