Ernst Casparsson

Ernst Casparsson grew up on his father’s farm Utterberg in Kolmården. His brother Otto became an actor and sister Elsa was a well-known artist. Ernst graduated in Norrköping in 1908 and joined the Småland Hussar Regiment in Eksjö as second lieutenant. In 1910, he was promoted to lieutenant. He attended the Military Academy from 1915-17 and rose to the rank of captain in 1923.

At the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm Casparsson was a member of the Swedish team that won gold in eventing on his horse Irmelin placing fifth individually. He also competed in the individual show jumping, which took place on the same day as the jumping section of the eventing, in which he placed sixth on Kiriki. One year after the Olympics, his father died and their farm was passed to his mother. Due to financial difficulties she had to sell the heavily indebted farm to her son Ernst, at the time in the rank of lieutenant, in 1921. He managed to combine the tasks as an army captain and a farmer and to save the farm.

Ernst Casparsson married to Malin Sandlund in 1924. They had four children and still lived on the family’s farm when he died in 1973. He was engaged in a variety of local institutions including the fire department, the county roads department and led the Vikboland Sparbank. Casparsson was made a Knight of the Order of the Sword.