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Waldemar
Ager
Author
(1869-1941)
Twice
decorated by the king of Norway (in 1923 and 1939), Ager was a noted author
of novels and short stories, a newspaper editor (in Eau Claire, Wisconsin),
and a lecturer. |
Arthur
Andersen
Accountant
(1885-1947)
The
founder of Arthur Andersen & Co. was taught a saying by his Norwegian
mother: "Think straight — talk straight." That approach
brought him success in the world of finance. He succeeded, also, as an
academician, attaining a full professorship at Northwestern. |
Nominated
by Ola Borgejordet
|
Andrews
Sisters
Vocalists
•
LaVerne
Andrews (1911-67)
•
Maxene
Andrews (1916-95)
•
Patty
Andrews (1918 - )
|
Their
hit recordings included "Bei mir bist du schön" (1937),
"Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy" (1941), "Don't Sit under
the Apple Tree" (1942), and "Rum and Coca-Cola" (1944).
Among the movies in which the popular trio appeared were Buck Privates
(1941), Private Buckaroo (1942) and Follow the Boys (1944). Born in
Minnesota, their mother was Norwegian (and their father Greek). |
Christian
Anfinsen
Chemist
(1916-95)
Chief
among his honors was a 1972 Nobel Prize in chemistry. |
Nominated
by Jon Anfinsen
|
Anna-Lisa
Actress
(1933 - )
Born
in Oslo, she ventured to Hollywood and became an actress, appearing in
guest roles on more than 150 television programs from the late 1950s through
the late 1960s. Anna-Lisa (Anna Lise Ruud) was a co-star of "Black
Saddle" (ABC, 1959-60), portraying hotel owner Nora Travers. |
Nominated
by Niels Petter Solberg
|
James
Arness
Actor
(1923 - )
For
20 years, he starred on television's "Gunsmoke" as Marshal Matt
Dillon. The actual family name of James Arness and brother Peter Graves
is Aurness. |
John
C. Ausland
Author, Military
Adviser
(1920-96)
His
book "Letters Home: A War Memoir," published in 1995, was comprised
of letters he had written as an Army lieutenant (then captain) from European battlefields.
During his 25-year career as a diplomat, ending in 1974, Ausland served
on the State Department's Berlin Task Force when the Berlin Wall was
erected in 1961 and was an adviser to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
during the Cuban missile crisis the following year. He authored six
books on foreign affairs and the military. |
Nominated
by Trygve Strøm
|
Bernt
Balchen
Aviator/Explorer
(1899-1973)
Born
in Norway, he was the first pilot to fly over both the north and south
poles, among other distinctions. |
Jakob
Bjerknes
Meteorologist
(1897-1975)
A
pioneer in weather forecasting, he coined the terms "warm front" and
"cold front." Born in Norway, he became a professor at UCLA. |
Robert
Bly
Poet, Author
(1926 - )
Though
born in the United States, he is closely in touch with his heritage.
Bly's own poetic works are heavily influenced by Norwegian poetry, which
he translated into English under a Fullbright grant. |
Nominated by Haakon
Bjerke
|
Norman
Borlaug
Agronomist
(1914 - )
He
is known as the "father of the Green Revolution." Through
development of a hearty, high-yield strain of wheat, he was instrumental
in improving food production in India, Pakistan and other countries,
resulting in the feeding of millions. Borlaug was awarded the 1970
Nobel Peace Prize.
|
James
Cagney
Actor
(1899-1986)
He
was one of Hollywood's top luminaries. His surname was Irish, but his
mother was Carolyn Nelson, daughter of a Norwegian river barge captain.
|
Arlene
Dahl
Actress
(1925 - )
Possessed
of beauty, she was an MGM movie star, later becoming successful in business.
She is the mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas (whose father was Dahl's second
husband, Argentinian-American actor Fernando Lamas). |
Nominated
by Gary A. Andersen
|
Blossom
Dearie
Singer
(1926 - )
Blossom
Dearie has triumphed both as a night club singer and a recording artist.
Her mother was Norwegian and her father Scottish. |
Babe
Didrikson
Athlete
(1914-56)
She
excelled in track and field (winning two gold medals and one silver medal
in the 1932 Olympics), golf, softball, baseball, swimming, figure skating,
billiards, and other sports. In 1950, the Associated Press named her outstanding
female athlete of the first half of the 20th Century -- and in the ensuing
half century, no woman surpassed her achievements in sports. |
Linda
Eder
Singer
(1961 - )
She
has attained accolades as a recording artist, concert singer, and Broadway
star. Her mother was Norwegian (and father Austrian). |
Stein
Eriksen
Skier
(1927 - )
Born
in Norway, Eriksen bagged a gold medal in the giant slalom and a silver
medal in the slalom during the 1952 Olympics. He is credited with devising
"aerials," a freestyle event, around 1950. Eriksen is director
of skiing at Deer Valley, Utah -- where Olympic ski events were held
in 2002, 50 years after his own Olympic triumphs. |
Nominated
by Ola Borgejordet
|
Ole
Evinrude
Inventor
(1877-1934)
Born
near Oslo, he emigrated to the United States at age 5. He developed the
first successful outboard motor. |
Nominated
by Haakon Bjerke
|
Kirsten
Flagstad
Opera
Singer
(1895-1962)
Known
as the "voice of the century," she performed before cheering
audiences both in her native Norway and in the United States. |
Joe
Foss
Soldier,
Politician
(1915-2003)
He
was one of the greatest heroes of World War II, earning a Congressional
medal of honor and being designated by Life Magazine as "America's
No. 1 Ace." Foss became governor of South Dakota, the first commissioner
of the American Football League, president of the National Rifle Assn.
and host of national television shows. He was Norwegian on his father's
side and Scotch on his mother's side. |
Nominated
by Erik B. Foss
|
Andrew
Furuseth
Labor
Leader
(1854-1938)
Born
in Romedal, Norway, he became America's chief exponent of the rights
of sailors to safe working conditions. Furuseth served as president
of the International Seamen's Union from 1908-38. |
Nominated
by Robert Muntz
|
Ivar Giaever
Physicist
(1929 - )
Professor
Giaever divides his time between the United States and Norway, where he
was born. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1973. |
Herbjørn
Gausta
Artist
(1855-1924)
This
early Norwegian immigrant distinguished himself in America as a painter.
His works are found at Luther College (where he stdied and later taught)
and at in
the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Iowa. |
Nominated
by Robert L. Burch
|
Peter
Graves
Actor
(1926 - )
Best
known for his role as Jim Phelps on "Mission Impossible," he
was born Peter Graves Aurness. He starred in the 1950s in the family television
series, "Fury," and most recently as host of A&E's "Biography."
His father was Rolf Aurness, a Norwegian. |
Born
in Norway, he led the Union Army's Scandinavian Regiment in the Civil War. |
Sonja
Henie
Actress,
Ice Skater
(1912-69)
Representing
Norway, she won three Olympics gold medals, and went on to star in 20th
Century Fox musicals. |
Conrad
Hilton
Hotel
Owner
(1887-1979)
Starting out with
a single hotel in a small town in Texas, he developed the worldwide Hilton
Hotel chain. His father emigrated from Norway. |
Nominated
by Simen
Dysvik Hagen
|
Celeste
Holm
Actress
(1919 - )
Her father was Norwegian.
Through the decades, she has been a leading player in stage productions,
motion pictures, and television shows. She was in the cast of the CBS-TV series, "Promised Land." |
Nominated
by Amanda Stevenson
|
Hubert H. Humphrey
38th Vice
President of the United States
(1911-78)
HHH
served as vice president under Lyndon Johnson and was the Democratic Party's
1968 presidential nominee. |
Henry
"Scoop" Jackson
United
States Senator
(1912-83)
A leading
member of the United States Senate, he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic
presidential nomination in 1972 and 1976. |
Hans Jevne
Grocer/Civic Leader
(1849 - 1927)
He came to Los Angeles, opened a small grocery store, worked hard, and became an "American success story." His was the premier grocery store in the western United States. He was also a wholesaler and a civic leader. |
Earl
Johnson Jr.
Appellate
Court Jurist
(1933 - )
Norwegian
on his father's side, Johnson was a member of the California Court of Appeal, retiring in 2007. |
Vendela Kirsebom
Model
(1967 - )
She was born
in Sweden, but her mother was Norwegian. (Her husband, businessman
Olaf Thomessen, also is Norwegian.) Though best known as a model —
indeed, "supermodel" — she has also acted and
has served as a reporter (during the 1994 Olympics games) on Norwegian
television.
|
Carole
Landis
Actress
(1919-48)
Carole Landis
was born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste. Her father was Norwegian and
her mother Polish. Though fairly successful as an actress, her personal
life was rocky, and she committed suicide at the age of 29.
|
Ernest
O. Lawrence
Inventor
(1901-58)
This son of Norwegian
immigrants won the 1939 Nobel Prize in physics for his invention in
1930 of the cyclotron, a device which greatly accelerates ions. The
device was the sine qua non to advancements in nuclear physics
in the years that followed.
|
E.G.
(“Everett Gunnar”) Marshall
Actor
(1914-98)
Marshall
was the star of television's "The Defenders" and host of the CBS
Radio Mystery Theater, and had a multitude of other credits. Both of
his parents were of Norwegian heritage. |
Robert
Mitchum
Actor
(1917-97)
His
mother, Ann Gunderson, was Norwegian; his father, a brawler, was not.
Mitchum had a distinguished film career, but, having acquired traits of
his father, was known as one of Hollywood's "bad boys." |
Walter Mondale
42nd
Vice President of the United States
(1928 - )
Mondale
has served as vice president of the United States, United States senator
(for 12 years) and ambassador to Japan. He was the Democratic Party's
1984 presidential nominee, losing to Ronald Reagan. |
Marilyn Monroe
Actress
(1926-62)
This
legendary film star was the illegitimate daughter of a Norwegian, Edward
Mortenson. |
Harry
Morgan
Actor
(1915 - )
He
was born with the name of Harry Bratsburg. His father was Norwegian
and his mother Swedish. He has been a regular in more television
series — 12 — than any other actor (and that isn't
counting mini-series or recurring guest roles). |
Knute
Nelson
Politician
(1843-1923)
This
native of Voss, Norway emigrated with his mother to the U.S., fought in
the Civil War, became a lawyer, served in the U.S. House of Representatives,
was elected to two terms as governor of Minnesota, and was a five-term
member of the U.S. Senate. |
Nominated
by Magnar Brandseth
|
Eliot
Ness
Law
Enforcer
(1903-57)
He
was the son of Norwegian immigrants. Ness had gained prominence as an
incorruptible Prohibition-era crime-buster, and nemesis of mobster Al
Capone. But it was not until after his death that he became a legend,
brought about by depictions of him (largely fictional) in the TV
series, "The Untouchables." |
Nominated
by Trygve Strøm
|
Greta
NissenActress
(1906-1988)
Born
in Oslo, she came to Hollywood and became a star of silent films.
With the advent of the "talkies," her accent caused her
to be bumped from a leading role in a Howard Hughes movie, "Hell's
Angels," originally slated to be made as a silent film. But she
went on to success in the talkies, starring in a variety of roles. |
Nominated
by Niels Petter Solberg
|
Lauris
Norstad
Military
Leader
(1907-88)
His
ancestors were from Norway and Sweden. (Sweden is an obscure kingdom on
the Scandinavian Peninsula.) He served as supreme commander of the allied
forces in Europe from 1956-63. |
Nominated
by Trygve Strøm
|
A
native of Norway, he served as captain of the U.S. Olympic ski team
in 1936. During his career as a skier, he captured more than 400 medals
and trophies. |
Nominated
by Ola Borgejordet
|
Lars
Onsager
Chemist,
Physicist
(1903-76)
Born
in Oslo, he became a professor at Yale and earned the 1968 Nobel Prize
in chemistry. |
Pat
Paulsen
Comedian
(1927-97)
The
subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor of this man who purported to be seeking
the presidency (in seven elections) was typically Norwegian. He won an
Emmy in 1968 for his work on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. |
Nominated
by Trygve Strøm
|
Charles
J. Pederson
Chemist
(1904-1989)
His
father, Brede Pedersen, was Norwegian (and his mother Japanese). He won
the 1987 Nobel Prize in chemistry. |
Cleng
Peerson
Father
of Norwegian Immigration
(1782-1865)
He led
fellow Norwegians to settlements in the United States, from the east coast
to Texas. |
Sally
Ride
Astronaut
(1951 - )
She
was the first American woman in space. Dr. Ride is now a physics professor
at the University of California, San Diego, as well as an author. |
Knute Rockne
Football
Coach
(1888-1931)
Born
in Voss, Norway, he served as head football coach at Notre Dame from 1918-1931,
and was responsible for numerous innovations in the sport. |
Ole
Rølvaag
Novelist
(1876-1931)
Immigrating
to the United States from Norway in 1896, he wrote of Norwegians in America.
Rølvaag served as a professor at St. Olaf College. |
Nominated
by Jon Peder Vestad
|
Finn
Ronne
Polar
Explorer
(1899-1980)
An
immigrant from Norway, he joined Admiral Richard Byrd's second and third
Antarctic expeditions, foraying to the South Pole seven times after
that. Ronne established that Antarctica was a single continent, rather
than two islands. Ronne's
1947 Antarctic expedition was the first to include women — one
of the two women being his wife, Edith "Jackie" Ronne.
|
Nominated
by Edward Ronne Sr.
|
Marta
Sandal
Concert
Singer
(1878-1930)
This
soprano, born in Oslo (then Christiania), became a protégé
of Edvard Grieg. Heading the bill at a concert attended by Norway's
king and queen, she sang Grieg's songs, accompanied on the piano by
the composer, himself. Sandal introduced Grieg's music to North America,
performing at Carnegie Hall and elsewhere. |
Pete
Sanstol
Boxer
(1905-82)
This
Norway-born pugilist was recognized by the Canadian Boxing Federation,
but not by the National Boxing Association in the U.S., as having won
the world bantamweight championship in Montreal in 1931. |
Atle
Selberg
Professor
of Mathematics
(1917 - )
Jan
Stenerud
Professional
Football Player
(1942 - )
Born
in Fetsund, Norway, he changed American football by putting the "kick"
in it -- literally. He introduced soccer-style kicking. |
Richard E. Taylor
Physicist
(1929 - )
Though his nationality
is Canadian, he has taught at Stanford University (in California)
since 1962. He won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physics based on research
there. Taylor's mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants.
|
John
A. (“Snowshoes”) Thompson
Mail
Carrier
(1827-76)
Every
winter from From 1856 to 1876, he made 90-mile treks through the snow,
on ski-skates, carrying mail between Placerville, Calif. and Mormon
Station, Utah. Thompson, who was born in Norway, is described as the
"Viking of the Sierra." |
Merle
Antony Tuve
Physicist/Geophysicist
(1901-82)
In
his youth, he and the kid next door, named Ernie, constructed radio
devices. Ernie — listed here as Ernest O. Lawrence — became
a Nobel Prize winning physicist. Tuve entered the same field. He and
a colleague in 1925, using radio devices, verified the existence of
the ionosphere; their research faciltated the development of radar.
Tuve was awarded the Medal of Merit in 1946 by President Truman. |
Nominated
by Prof. Per B. Lilje
|
Oswald
Veblen
Mathematician
(1880-1960)
He
was a Princeton University professor who was an innovator in mathematics.
He was a nephew of Thorstein Veblen, listed immediately below. |
Thorstein
Veblen
Economist,
Social Commentator
(1857-1929)
The
son of Norwegian immigrants, he taught at Stanford and other universities.
He authored the book The Theory of the Leisure Class, in which
he coined the term "conspicuous consumption." |
Andrew
Volstead
Politician
(1860-1947)
Volstead
will not take the prize as the most popular government official of the
20th Century. As a member of the House of Representatives, he authored
the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of the 18th Amendment
-- that is, Prohibition. |
Nominated
by Trygve Strøm
|
Grete Waitz
Marathon
Runner
(1953 - )
The
winner of innumerable marathons, she attained a silver medal in the
1984 Olympics. She divides her time between her native Norway and the
United States; she and her husband have homes in Oslo and Gainsville,
Florida. |
Earl
Warren
Politician,
Jurist
(1891-1974)
Imbued
with the ambition of becoming president of the United States, he wound
up heading a different branch of government, serving as chief justice
from 1953-69. Prior to that, he was governor of California, and was the
1948 Republican nominee for vice president. |
Nominated by Prof. Thomas
Lundmark
|
Renee
Zellweger
Actress
(1969 - )
Her
mother is Norwegian, her father Swiss. She has had starring roles
in various films, including "Me, Myself and Irene." |
Nominated
by Ola Borgejordet
|
She
was also nominated,
independently, by Sverre
Gunnar Haga.
Vera
Zorina
Actress/Dancer
(1917-2003)
Though
born in Germany, she was brought up in her mother's homeland, Norway.
Having attained a staus as a celebrated dancer, Goldwyn Studios lured
her to Hollywood with a 7-year contract. She had leading roles in
seven motion pictures. |
Nominated
by Niels Petter Solberg
|
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1998-2008, Roger M. Grace