Ridgewood Man Who Became A Swedish Knight Dies

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Is it possible to grow up in Bergen County and become a Swedish knight? One man did.

Henry "Hank" E. Gooss grew up in Ridgewood and was known for his financial acumen and gift of conversation, says his obituary in the New York Times. He served in Vietnam, graduated from Rutgers, and earned MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

After working in financial services for years, he led New York-based venture capital operations for Investor AB, a Swedish company, and served as chairman of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in New York. He also served on the board of Goodwill for 27 years and was involved with other service organizations. According to the obit, "In 2019, he was honored with the Royal Order of the Polar Star, a prestigious Swedish order of knighthood that recognizes outstanding service."

According to the Swedish webpage for royal orders, "The Royal Order of the Polar Star was instituted in 1748, and is intended to recognise personal endeavours for Sweden or for Swedish interests, particularly within public activities, as well as the successful performance of public tasks and duties." The award was created by King Frederick I.

Read the New York Times' Q&A with Gooss from 1999 here.

Read the obituary here.