Industrialist. Considered "King of the Watchmakers" of northern Europe in his day. Anderson was born in Enköping, Sweden. Full name: Knut Stefan Anderson. His mother died when he was 11, leaving him with a sickly father and 4 small siblings. He was taught watchmaking in Norrköping and soon began a career of organizing his tradesmen and other craftsmen and the smaller industries of Scandinavia, also working in Germany at times. When his three brothers and sister changed their last name to Riese, Stefan commented that he was going to keep Anderson and try to live up to it. By the time he had been decorated for his services to industry with orders of chivalry by the Kings of Sweden, Norway and Denmark and the President of Finland he had lived up to this pledge. The humility of his personality saw him having to be talked into getting dressed up in all of it for a color photo on his 80th birthday in 1958. Anderson was Chairman of the Board of several of the important industrial organizations. He was also a journalist and editor of several newspapers and one of the founders of the famous outdoor Museum of Mining in his home town of Ludvika. He had established himself there in 1905 after coming north from Sudermania and Stockholm and being helped, with his siblings, by one of his dead mother's sisters in the area, who had married a wealthy estate owner. The School of Watchmaking at Borensberg, Sweden, has been named Stefansskolan in his honor. Anderson and wife, Ragnhild Anderson, visited the United States in 1955 where he toured the clock manufacturing facilities in Elgin, Illinois, and both were surprised to be able to speak Swedish with so many elderly Americans in the Midwest.
Industrialist. Considered "King of the Watchmakers" of northern Europe in his day. Anderson was born in Enköping, Sweden. Full name: Knut Stefan Anderson. His mother died when he was 11, leaving him with a sickly father and 4 small siblings. He was taught watchmaking in Norrköping and soon began a career of organizing his tradesmen and other craftsmen and the smaller industries of Scandinavia, also working in Germany at times. When his three brothers and sister changed their last name to Riese, Stefan commented that he was going to keep Anderson and try to live up to it. By the time he had been decorated for his services to industry with orders of chivalry by the Kings of Sweden, Norway and Denmark and the President of Finland he had lived up to this pledge. The humility of his personality saw him having to be talked into getting dressed up in all of it for a color photo on his 80th birthday in 1958. Anderson was Chairman of the Board of several of the important industrial organizations. He was also a journalist and editor of several newspapers and one of the founders of the famous outdoor Museum of Mining in his home town of Ludvika. He had established himself there in 1905 after coming north from Sudermania and Stockholm and being helped, with his siblings, by one of his dead mother's sisters in the area, who had married a wealthy estate owner. The School of Watchmaking at Borensberg, Sweden, has been named Stefansskolan in his honor. Anderson and wife, Ragnhild Anderson, visited the United States in 1955 where he toured the clock manufacturing facilities in Elgin, Illinois, and both were surprised to be able to speak Swedish with so many elderly Americans in the Midwest.
Bio by: Count Demitz
Family Members
Parents
Siblings
Advertisement
See more Anderson memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
