Olov Arthur Ternström (1 February 1927 – 22 July 2001) was a Swedish diplomat.
Early life
Ternström was born on 1 February 1927 in Lund, Sweden, the son of accountant Arthur Ternström and Astrid (née Andersson). He gained a degree in economics at the Stockholm School of Economics in 1949 and received the title of civilekonom.
Career
Ternström worked in the Swedish General Export Association (Sveriges allmänna exportförening) from 1948 to 1957 before becoming an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1957. Ternström served in Washington, D.C. in 1958, was the secretary at the Foreign Ministry in 1961 and director at the Council for Swedish Information Abroad (Upplysningsberedningen) in 1961 which was a coordinating committee for overseas information. He was then consul in Hong Kong in 1964, press counsellor in London in 1967 and trade counsellor there in 1971. Ternström was deputy head of the Administration Department at the Foreign Ministry in 1973. He was ambassador in Tunis in 1976 and served in the Swedish United Nations delegation in New York City in 1978. Ternström was ambassador in Cairo and in Khartoum from 1981 to 1986. In 1981, while Ternström was ambassador in Egypt, he escaped unhurt after the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated. He ended his diplomatic career by being ambassador in Bangkok from 1986 to 1992. Ternström worked as a special adviser to Oxfam from 1993 to 1994 and correspondent for Svenska Dagbladet from 1994.
Personal life
Ternström was married twice. In 1955 he married Margareta Röningberg, the daughter of school teacher Erik Röningberg and sculptor Ingrid (née Geijer). In 1983 Ternström married Myrtle Langham. Towards the end of his life Ternström was a resident of Cheltenham, England.
Death
Ternström died on 22 July 2001 and was interred in Bromma Cemetery on 28 March 2002.