Erik Tjäder

Erik Tjäder, the son of a gardener, initially worked as a sailor. He then decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a gardener and seed merchant. From 1884 until 1932, he ran a seed trade in Stockholm under his own name, until 1925 as its owner and then as managing director of a limited company. In 1916, he became a member of the Entomological Society.

Tjäder was well-known as a diver. He was a competitor and team leader at various international events. At the age of 49, he competed in springboard diving at the 1912 Olympic Games but failed to reach the final. It is said that he demonstrated his special “Tjäders dive” shouting, “Buy Tjäder’s insect powder!” during the jump. Additionally, Tjäder was an important pioneer in lifesaving from water and ice; he gave lectures and published a handbook on swimming and lifesaving. In his final years, Tjäder led an active life in a care home in Stockholm’s Åkeshov’s district. Even in his seventies, he still performed some of his dives. He never married.