CHANCERIESTHE DIPLOMATIC ATLAS

Johan Albert Kantzow

Johan Albert Kantzow entered diplomacy through commerce. After work in his family's trading business, he became Sweden's agent in Lisbon in 1782. He followed the Portuguese royal court to Rio de Janeiro during the Napoleonic invasion, establishing an early Swedish diplomatic presence in South America. 1

Appointed Sweden's first resident minister to the United States in 1812, Kantzow spent much of his journey in London negotiating a commercial agreement with Portugal. He reached the United States in 1813, while Britain and America were at war. His instructions included efforts toward reconciliation, but these produced no settlement. Recalled in 1819, he returned to Sweden, became a court marshal, and was raised to the baronage in 1821. 1

Washington Appointments

  • Sweden — Minister, 1813–1819

Sources

  1. 165 (Svenska män och kvinnor : biografisk uppslagsbok / 4. I-Lindner)

    Named biographical entry in the digitized work

  2. Biographical record — runeberg. org, record 4

    Biographical or archival source consulted for the linked appointment. Date precision is preserved. Some archival viewers yielded only a catalogue record; the research ledger records access limits.

  3. Biographical record — sok. riksarkivet. se, record 20

    Biographical or archival source consulted for the linked appointment. Date precision is preserved. Some archival viewers yielded only a catalogue record; the research ledger records access limits.

  4. Incoming Swedish representatives in Washington — chronology and original-source leads

    Secondary cross-check of incoming ministers, chargés and ambassadors. Original biographical entries are separately linked below. Exact appointments are not silently converted to credential dates; acting intervals are not exhaustive.

  5. U.S. Office of the Historian — Sweden

    Swedish recognition of the United States 3 April 1783; reciprocal diplomatic relations 29 April 1818. Diplomatic relations continued through the 1972–1974 downgrade. The 1783 date refers to the treaty of amity and commerce.

  6. Historical representation: United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway

Biography checked 2026-10-28.

Cite or Reuse This Biography

Johan Albert Kantzow. Chanceries Diplopedia. Biography reviewed 2026-10-28. Record 64d700e737c5580b. https://chanceries.org/diplopedia/people/johan-albert-kantzow-55b95d987f/

Download citation
Correction note

Send a correction to [email protected].

Biography: Johan Albert Kantzow