Jacob Letterstedt

Jacob Letterstedt (born Lallerstedt; 15 December 1796 – 18 March 1862) was a Swedish businessman who settled in the Cape Colony (part of present-day South Africa).

Jacob Letterstedt
c.1875
Born	Jacob Lallerstedt (1796-12-15)15 December 1796 Östergötland, Sweden
Died	18 March 1862(1862-03-18) (aged 65) Paris, France

Lallerstedt was born in the parish of Vallerstad (present Mjölby Municipality) in Östergötland County.^[1] He arrived at Cape Town in 1820, where he made his fortune in the grain trade. Later he founded the company that became South African Breweries.^[2][3] In 1839 he was appointed acting Consul of Sweden-Norway, in 1841 ordinary Consul and in 1857 Consul General.

Letterstedt donated money to several prizes and to the Letterstedt Association, which promotes Nordic cooperation. In 1860, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The same year he returned to Europe and was living in Paris at the time of his death.^[4]