Ivor Thord-Gray

Ivor Thord-Gray (born Thord Ivar Hallström) (April 17, 1878 – August 18, 1964) was a Swedish-born adventurer, sailor, prison guard, soldier, government official, police officer, rubber plantation owner, ethnologist, linguist, investor, and author.[1] He participated in thirteen wars spanning the continents of Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe.

Ivor Thord-Gray
Ivor Thord-Gray in 1914
Born
Thord Ivar Hallström

(1878-04-17)17 April 1878
Died18 August 1964(1964-08-18) (aged 86)
NationalitySwedish, American
Occupationsailor, soldier, ethnologist, linguist, investor, writer
Years active1897-1935
Notable work
  • Gringo Rebel
  • Från Mexicos forntid : bland tempelruiner och gudabilder (From Mexico's ancient times: among temple ruins and idols)
  • Tarahumara-English, English-Tarahumara dictionary and an introduction to Tarahumara grammar
Spouse(s)Josephine Toerge-Schaefer
ChildrenEdward, Frances

Early life

Thord Ivar Hallström was born in the Södermalm district in central Stockholm, Kingdom of Sweden as the second son of a primary school teacher, August Hallström, and his wife Hilda. His eldest brother was the artist Gunnar August Hallström (1875–1943). His youngest brother was the archaeologist Gustaf Hallström (1880–1962).[2]

Military service and civilian employment (1893-1919)

South Africa

Kenya

  • Captain of Nairobi Mounted Police 1907

Philippines

Malaya

  • Planter in Malaya 1909–1911.

China

Mexico

  • Joined Mexican Revolution as Captain and Commander of Pancho Villa's artillery 1913
  • Promoted Major, Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel 1914
  • Chief of Staff 1st Mexican Army 1914

Britain

Russia

Back to Sweden

In 1923, Ivor Thord-Gray returned to Sweden and wrote a book about Mexican archeology Från Mexicos forntid : bland tempelruiner och gudabilder.[6]

United States

In 1925 Thord-Gray moved to the United States and established I.T. Gray & Co, an investment bank located at 522 Fifth Avenue in New York City. He became a citizen of the United States in 1934. He was married to Josephine Toerge-Schaefer (1925–1932) who had two children, Edward and Frances. He was subsequently married to Winnifred Ingersoll (1933–1960). In 1929, he established residence at Gray Court in Belle Haven in Greenwich, Connecticut. In August 1935 he was appointed Major-General and Chief-of-Staff to Governor David Sholtz of Florida.

In 1955, he wrote Tarahumara-English, English-Tarahumara dictionary and an introduction to Tarahumara grammar. (Coral Gables, Fla., University of Miami Press, 1955). He also wrote a book about his experiences in the Mexican Revolution, Gringo Rebel: Mexico 1913–1914 (Coral Gables, Fla. : University of Miami Press, 1961). In later years he had his winter home in Coral Gables, Florida.

References

  1. "Ivor Thord-Gray (Great War Forum)". Archived from the original on 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
  2. "Gustaf Hallströms fotografisamling (Forskningsarkivet)". Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  3. "No. 28986". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 November 1914. p. 9973.
  4. "No. 29488". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 February 1916. p. 2090.
  5. "Library and Archives Canada". Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  6. Thord-Gray, Ivor (1923). Från Mexicos forntid: bland tempelruiner och gudabilder (in Swedish). Stockholm: G. Tisells tekn. förl.
  • Thord Ivar Hallströms handlingar - Some 1,000 letters and documents regarding Ivor Thord-Gray deposited in the Kungliga Biblioteket in Stockholm

Other sources

  • Bojerud, Stellan Ivor Thord-Gray - Soldat under 13 fanor (Sivart Förlag AB, Stockholm. 2008) ISBN 91-85705-13-6
  • Gyllenhaal, Lars & Westberg, Lennart Swedes at War (Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2010), ISBN 978-0-9777563-1-5
  • Langer, Joakim Mannen som hittade Tarzan (Sivart Förlag AB, Stockholm, 2008) ISBN 91-85705-12-8.
  • Arrioja, Adolfo Vizcaíno El sueco que se fue con Pancho Villa (Editorial Océano de México, 2000) ISBN 970-651-402-3
  • Turner, Timothy G. Bullets, Bottles and Gardenias (Southwest Press 1937)
  • Tunis, Edwin Weapons: a pictorial history P61 (The Johns Hopkins University Press 1999) ISBN 978-0-8018-6229-8
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