Knut Gillis Bildt

General Knut Gillis Bildt (13 July 1854 – 13 October 1927) was a Swedish Army officer and politician. His senior commands include the post of Quartermaster-General of the Swedish Army (1904–1905) and Chief of the General Staff (1905–1919). Bildt was also a member of parliament for Norrbotten County representing the Protectionist Party for eight years. Early life Knut Gillis Bildt was born on 13 July 1854 in Stockholm, Sweden, the younger son of the then major, later the Governor of Stockholm and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Friherre Gillis Bildt and his wife Rosa Lucie Dufva. He was the brother of the diplomat, the member of the Swedish Academy etc., Friherre Carl Bildt. Career After having passed the cadet course at the Military Academy Karlberg in 1869-71, Bildt was commissioned as underlöjtnant in the Life Regiment Dragoon Corps in 1871 and was three years later promoted to lieutenant there. That same year, the father had become Swedish envoy in Berlin and the son now attended the Prussian Staff College there from 1875 to 1878. After returning home, in 1880 he was transferred to the General Staff, where he became captain in 1883. Since 1883 Bildt belonged to the then Crown Prince Gustaf's staff, for whom he was the chief for a number of years. In 1883 he also was appointed to be a teacher at the Royal Swedish Army Staff College and remained on this post until he, in 1890, advanced to ryttmästare in the Life Regiment Dragoons. In 1891, Bildt was promoted to major in the General Staff was appointed head of its Communications Department. Bildt was then vice chief of the Military Office of the Ministry of Land Defence from 1892 to 1893. He was moved in 1893 as lieutenant colonel and first major to Småland Hussar Regiment (Smålands husarregemente), where in 1896 he became colonel and regimental commander. He was also head of the Crown Prince's staff from 1896. In 1899, Bildt was elected by Norrbotten County County Council to the Första kammaren, of which he for three years (1900-1902) was a member of the Committee of Supply (Statsutskottet). Bildt was also a member of the 1907 Special Defense Committee, within which he put in an extremely successful and appreciated work, although he was eventually forced to see a reconciliation proposal adopted, for which he did not consider himself able to give his vote.