Background
Hammarskjöld was born in Väderum in Tuna, Sweden and was son to lieutenant Knut Hammarskjöld (1818-1891) and Wilhelmina Mimmi Hammarskjöld, born Cöster (1832-1901).
Hammarskjöld was born in Väderum in Tuna, Sweden and was son to lieutenant Knut Hammarskjöld (1818-1891) and Wilhelmina Mimmi Hammarskjöld, born Cöster (1832-1901).
Hammarskjöld graduated from Uppsala 1883, graduated as an officer 1885, became second lieutenant in Värmlands Field Volunteer Corps 1885, lieutenant 1891, general staff 1895, captain 1899 in the Vaxholms branch.
Regiment 1903, major at the general staff 1906, colonel in the Swedish army 1909. Regiment 1910, colonel (2) in the army 1913, colonel and commander of the 1st Life Grenadier Regiment 1914, commander of the 3rd infantery brigade 1917, major general and chief for the 6th Army Division in Östersund 1918. Hammarskjöld implemented extra repetitions at Krigshögskolan, Karlskoga from 1892 to 1893, got promoted to company officer at Krigsskolan in 1895, assisting teacher at Krigshögskolan 1897-1898 and teacher 1899-1803, general staff officer at the staff of the 2nd Army Division 1903-1905, chief of staff of the 1st Army Division 1905-1906, under chief (Swedish: souschef) at Country of Defences commission expedition 1906-1910.
He got promoted in 1922 to Chief of the General Staff and 1930 to general, at the same time he left all his other positions.
Hammarskjöld represented the Swedish conservative right party from 1918 to 1920 in the lower house of the Riksdag) and 1925-1932 in the upper house. When Louis De Geer formed his caretaker government Hammarskjöld got appointed to the Minister for Defence on the 27 October 1920 and remained in the position until the 6 June 1921.
As the Minister for Defence he wanted to increase the defense spending, opposite to the opposition in the Riksdag. Hammarskjöld was, like the most in the right party, critical to the Social Democrat"s proposal to women"s right to vote and the most other big reforms that the social democrats proposed.
He also supported the resistance when the Riksdag put up a proposal to increase the public military service and later left the conservatives party.
Hammarskjöld was a member in the city council of Linköping from 1916 to 1919.
Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences.