Born in the Grand Duchy of Finland at the time it was a part of the Russian Empire, he was later, due to his political activity, forced to move to Sweden, where he later became a member of the Parliament of Sweden and of the Swedish Academy.
Lahir di Keharyapatihan Finlandia pada masa wilayah tersebut menjadi bagian dari Kekaisaran Rusia, ia kemudian, karena kegiatan politiknya, terpaksa pindah ke Swedia, dimana ia menjadi anggota Parlemen Swedia dan Akademi Swedia.