Per Magnus Wijkman ’58

Per died Sept. 24, 2021, in Sweden. He was 85.

He came to Princeton from boarding school in Sweden and joined our class in 1956 as a junior. He majored in Romance and Germanic languages, and was a member of Wilson Lodge.

One week before graduation, Per was called back to Sweden for military service, so when his name was called at our graduation ceremony, his mother stood for him!

His life was amazing and important — it is detailed in our 50th-reunion yearbook. After 15 months in the army Per studied economics at the University of Stockholm and then was offered a teaching position. In 1977-78 he was invited to work at the Federal Reserve in Washington and to teach at the Woodrow Wilson School. 

In 1984 Per returned to Sweden, where he and Birgitta were married. Their daughters Elizabeth and Anne were born there. 

In 1988 the family moved to Geneva and Per was involved in negotiations that led to Sweden joining the European Union. In 1994 they returned to Sweden, and he became chief economist at the Federation of Swedish Industries. As he put it, he was “involved in a major event of our generation — the unification of Europe.” He retired in 2000.

Per is survived by his wife, two daughters, and three young grandchildren. The class extends its deepest sympathy to them all.