List of Norwegian Americans

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This is a list of notable Norwegian Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

The list is ordered by category of human endeavour. Persons with significant contributions in two fields are listed in both of the pertinent categories, to facilitate easy lookup.

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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Norwegian American or must have references showing they are Norwegian American and are notable.


Contents

[edit] List

[edit] Academics

[edit] Historians and sociologist

  • Kenneth O. Bjork - (1909–1991) was an American professor, historian and author.
  • Carl Blegen - (1887–1971) was an American archaeologist famous for his work on the site of Pylos in modern day Greece and Troy in modern day Turkey.
  • Theodore C. Blegen - (1891–1969) was an American historian and author.
  • Elise M. Boulding - (1920–2010) was a Quaker sociologist Norwegian, and author credited as a major contributor to creating the academic discipline of Peace and Conflict Studies.
  • Odd S. Lovoll - American author, historian and educator
  • Peter A. Munch - (1908–1984) was a Norwegian-American sociologist, educator and author
  • Carlton C. Qualey - (1904–1988) was an American professor, author and historian
  • Rick Steves - American author, historian
  • Martin Ulvestad - (1865–1942) was an American historian and author whose writings focused on Norwegian-American immigration
  • Thorstein Veblen - (1857–1929) was an American economist and sociologist

[edit] Architect

[edit] Entertainment

[edit] Actors and actress

Peter Graves
Melanie Griffith
Lance Henriksen
Priscilla Presley

[edit] Screenwriter, directors and Producers of film

[edit] Singers and Musicians

Beck
Peggy Lee

[edit] Models

[edit] Sport

Lance Armstrong
Boomer Esiason

[edit] Bankers

[edit] Business

[edit] Cartoonists

Charles Schulz

[edit] Explorer and founder of city

[edit] Journalist

Eric Sevareid
  • Waldemar Ager - (1869—1941), was a Norwegian born, American newspaperman and author.
  • Brynild Anundsen - (1844–1913) was a Norwegian born, American newspaper editor and publisher.
  • Ole Amundsen Buslett - (1855–1924) was a Norwegian born, American author, newspaperman, and politician
  • Hans Andersen Foss - (1851–1929) was an American author, newspaper editor and temperance leader.
  • Gulbrand Hagen - (1864 to 1919) was an American newspaper editor, writer, photographe
  • Johan Hambro - (1915–1993) was a Norwegian journalist, translator and biographer
  • Carl Hiaasen - American journalist, columnist and novelist
  • Reidar Rye Haugan - (1893–1972) was an American newspaper editor and publisher.
  • Judy Lee Klemesrud - (1939–1985) was a writer for The New York Times from 1966 until her death in 1985
  • Elias Molee - (1845–1928) was an American journalist, philologist and linguist.
  • Jane Pauley - American television journalist
  • James DeNoon Reymert - (1821–1896) was an American newspaper editor, mine operator, lawyer and politician
  • Jerry Rosholt - (1923–2008) was an American journalist and author.
  • Andreas Nilsen Rygg - (1868–1951) was Norwegian-American newspaper editor and author.
  • Eric Sevareid - (1912–1992) was a CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977.
  • Carl Søyland – (1894–1978) was a Norwegian born author, reporter, editor
  • Marcus Thrane - (1817–1890) was a Norwegian author, journalist, and the leader of the first Norwegian labor movement
  • Johannes B. Wist - (1864–1923) was a Norwegian born newspaper editor, journalist and author

[edit] Lawyers

Earl Warren

[edit] Meteorologist

[edit] Military

  • Peter C. Assersen - (1839–1906) was Norwegian-born, American civil engineer and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.
  • Bernt Balchen - (1899–1973), a winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross was a Norwegian native, and later U.S. citizen, known as a pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader
  • Margarethe Cammermeyer - former colonel in the Washington National Guard and a gay rights activist
  • Fred J. Christensen - (1921–2006) was a fighter pilot and ace with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
  • Harold Drotning - (1898–1982) American Military that served in the United States Army during World War I.
  • Gail Halvorsen - retired career officer and command pilot in the United States Air Force
  • Louis J. Hauge, Jr. – (1924–1945) was a United States Marin
  • Orin D. Haugen - (1907–1945) was a Colonel in the United States Army [8]
  • Knut Haukelid - (1911–1994) was a Norwegian resistance movement soldier during World War II
  • Ole C. Johnson - (1838–1886) was a Norwegian-American soldier in the American Civil War
  • Lauris Norstad - (1907–1988) was an American General in the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force.
  • Ludwig Andreas Olsen - (1845–1886), also known as Louis Williams, was a United States Navy sailor
  • George William Rud – ( 1883–1916) was a United States Navy Chief Machinist's Mate
  • Andrew V. Stoltenberg - (1865–1921) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Philippine-American War.
  • Leif J. Sverdrup - (1898–1976) Norwegian born, American civil engineer and general with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the first half of the 20th century.
  • Jacob Thorkelson - (1876–1945) was an American elected official, Naval officer and medical doctor.
  • Karl Westa (1875–1949) was a United States Navy sailor

[edit] Politician

Hubert H. Humphrey
Henry M. Jackson
Warren G. Magnuson
Walter Mondale

[edit] Published

[edit] Religious

  • Marcus Borg - American Biblical scholar and author
  • Elling Eielsen – ( 1804–1883) was an American minister and Lutheran Church leader.
  • John O. Evjen - (1874–1942) was an American author, Lutheran church historian and professor of theology
  • Albert C. Knudson – (1873–1953) was a Christian theologian in the Methodist tradition
  • U. V. Koren – (1826–1910) was an American author, theologian and church leader.
  • Bernt Julius Muus - (1832 - 1900) was a Norwegian - born, Lutheran minister and church leader
  • Olaf M. Norlie - (1876–1962), also referred to as O. M. Norlie, was a Lutheran minister, educator and scholar
  • Sven Oftedal - (1844–1911) was a Norwegian - born, Lutheran minister who helped found the Lutheran Free Church.
  • Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus - American Lutheran clergy
  • J. A. O. Preus II - (1920–1994) was a Lutheran pastor, professor, author, and church president
  • Herman Amberg Preus - (1825–1894) was an American Lutheran clergyman and church leader.
  • Canute Peterson - (1824–1902) was a Norwegian Mormon pioneer settler of Utah Territory
  • Christian Keyser Preus - (1852–1921) was an American Lutheran Minister who served as the second President of Luther College.
  • Robert Preus - (1924–1995) was an American Lutheran pastor, professor, author, and seminary president
  • August Weenaas –( 1835–1924) was a Norwegian - born Lutheran minister and educator
  • William S. Skylstad - American Roman Catholic Bishop
  • Peer Stromme - (1856–1921) was an American pastor, teacher, journalist, and author
  • Hans Gerhard Stub - (1849–1931) was an American Lutheran theologian and church leader
  • Georg Sverdrup (theologian) - (1848 - 1907) was a Norwegian born, Lutheran theologian and an educator.
  • Nils Otto Tank - (1800–1864) was a Moravian Church missionary
  • Jacob Tanner - Norwegian - born, Lutheran minister, educator and religious author
  • Abraham Vereide - (1886–1969) was a Norwegian-born Methodist clergyman and founder of Goodwill Industries of Seattle
  • John A. Widtsoe – (1872–1952) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Mildred Bangs Wynkoop – (1905–1997) was an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene, who served as an educator, missionary and theologian

[edit] Scientists

Ernest O. Lawrence
Sally Ride
  • Philip Abelson - ( 1913–2004) was an American physicist, a scientific editor, and a science writer
  • Christian B. Anfinsen - (1916–1995) was an American biochemist
  • Peter Agre - American medical doctor, professor, and molecular biologist
  • Neal Amundson - ( 1916–2011) was an American chemical engineer.
  • Gunvald Aus – (1851–1950) was a Norwegian-American engineer.
  • Earl Bakken - engineer, businessman and philanthropist of Dutch and Norwegian American ancestry.
  • Carl Georg Barth - (1860–1939) was a Norwegian-American mathematician and mechanical engineer
  • Magnus Bjorndal - (September 13, 1899 – January 23, 1971) was a Norwegian American engineer and inventor.
  • Eduard Boeckmann - (1849–1927) was a Norwegian American ophthalmologist, physician and inventor.
  • William A. Bugge - (1900–1992) was a civil engineer
  • Robert A. Dahl - Sterling Professor emeritus of political science at Yale University
  • Olin J. Eggen - (1919 1998) was an American astronomer
  • Douglas Engelbart - American inventor and early computer pioneer and internet pioneer.
  • Ole Evinrude - (1877—1934) was a Norwegian-American inventor, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application.
  • Joe Foss - (1915–2003) was the leading fighter ace of the United States Marine Corps during World War II
  • Arthur Foss
  • Mike Fossum - American astronaut.
  • Frederick C. Finkle – (1865–1949) was an American consulting engineer and geologist.
  • Ivar Giaever - physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973
  • Clarence Gonstead - (1898–1978) was a Doctor of Chiropractic and creator of the Gonstead Technique
  • Lars Grimsrud - aerospace engineer and performance automobile
  • Adolph Gundersen - (1865–1938) was a Norwegian born American medical doctor and founder of Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center
  • Robert C. Gunderson - (1931–2003) was the first supervisor of the Genealogical Society of Utah's Royalty Identification Unit
  • Alf Hjort - (1877–1944) was a Norwegian born, American electrical engineer.
  • Ludvig Hektoen - (1863–1951) was a noted American pathologist
  • Iver Johnson - U.S. firearms, bicycle, and motorcycle manufacturer
  • Robert B. Ingebretsen - (1948–2003) was a pioneer in the development of digital sound.
  • Gary Kildall - (1942–1994) was an American computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur who created the CP/M operating system and founded Digital Research, Inc.
  • Carl Otto Lampland - (1873–1951) was an American astronomer
  • Ernest Lawrence - (1901–1958) was an American physicist and Nobel Laureate.
  • John H. Lawrence - (1904–1991) was an American physicist and physician best known for pioneering the field of nuclear medicine.
  • C. Walton Lillehei - (1918–1999), was an American surgeon who pioneered open-heart surgery
  • Alfred M. Moen - (1916–2001) was an American inventor and founder of Moen, Inc.
  • Olaus Murie - (1889–1963), called the "father of modern elk management", was a naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist
  • Nathan Myhrvold - formerly Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, is co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, and referred to by many as a patent troll.
  • Ted Nelson - American sociologist, philosopher, and pioneer of information technology
  • Peter Norman Nissen - (1871–1930), a Canadian-American resident in United States. He was a mining engineer, developed the prefabricated shelter called the Nissen hut in 1916.
  • Ken Olsen - (1926 —2011) was an American engineer who co-founded Digital Equipment Corporation
  • Tinius Olsen - (1845–1932) was a Norwegian born, American engineer and inventor.
  • Charles J. Pedersen - (1904–1989) was an American organic chemist best known for describing methods of synthesizing crown ethers.
  • Lars Onsager - (1903–1976) was a Norwegian-born American physical chemist and theoretical physicist
  • Sally Ride - American physicist and a former NASA astronaut
  • Ole Singstad - (1882–1969) was a Norwegian-American civil engineer who innovated the ventilation system for the Holland Tunnel
  • Marius Nygaard Smith-Petersen - (1886–1953) was Norwegian-born American physician and orthopaedic surgeon.
  • George Schlukbier - North American innovator who in the 1990s built Nando
  • Elias Anton Cappelen Smith - (6 November 1873 – 25 June 1949) was a Norwegian American civil engineer and metallurgist.
  • Theodore Theodorsen - (1897–1978) Norwegian-American theoretical aerodynamicist noted for his work at NACA (the forerunner of NASA) and for his contributions to the study of turbulence.
  • Merle A. Tuve – (1901–1982) was an American scientist and geophysicist who was the founding director of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
  • Oswald Veblen - (1880–1960) was an American mathematician, geometer and topologist

[edit] Seaman

  • Erik Eriksen (explorer) - (1820–1888), was a Norwegian ice sea captain born in Lyngør, Norway
  • Thea Foss – ( 1857–1927) was the founder of Foss Maritime, the largest tugboat company in the western United States.
  • Andrew Furuseth – (1854–1938) Norwegian born, was a merchant seaman and an American labor lead
  • Sig Hansen - American Captain of the fishing vessel Northwestern
  • Harry Lundeberg - (1901–1957) was a merchant seaman and an American labor leader.
  • G. Unger Vetlesen - (1889–1959) was a Norwegian shipbuilder and naturalized American philanthropist

[edit] Settle

[edit] Visual artist

  • Mikkel Aaland - American photographer and is known for work in the early days of digital photography.
  • Hendrik Christian Andersen - (1872–1940) American sculptor, painter and urban planner.
  • Gene Amondson - (1943–2009) was a landscape painter, woodcarver, Christian minister and prohibition activist
  • Sigvald Asbjornsen – (1867–1954) was a Norwegian born sculptor.
  • Jon-Erik Beckjord - (1939–2008) was a paranormal investigator and photographer known for his far-reaching ideas regarding such phenomena as UFOs, crop circles, the Loch Ness Monster, and his specialty, Bigfoot.
  • Emil Biorn - (1864–1935) was an Norwegian-born, American sculptor, painter and composer
  • Benjamin Blessum - (1877–1954) was an American painter, graphic artist and illustrator.
  • Jacob Fjelde -- (1855–1896) was a Norwegian born, American sculptor
  • Pauline Fjelde – (1861–1923) was a Norwegian born, American painter, embroiderer, and textile artist
  • Paul Fjelde - (1892–1984) was a noted American sculptor and educator
  • Alexander Grinager - (1865–1949) was an American artist most noted for his murals and scenic painting
  • Herbjørn Gausta – (1854–1924) was an American artist who is best known for his landscapes, portraits and scenes from rural settings
  • Al Hansen - (1927–1995) was an American artist considered as one of the most important Fluxus figures.
  • Lars Jonson Haukaness – (1863–1929) was a Norwegian born, American-Canadian impressionist painter and art instructor
  • Per Lysne - (1880–1947) was an artist most associated with bringing the traditional Norwegian folk art of Rosemaling to the United States
  • Eric Norstad, noted ceramicist and architect.
  • Karl Ouren - (1882–1943) was an Norwegian born artist best known for his paintings of Norwegian landscapes and scenes
  • Shag - American artist
  • Yngvar Sonnichsen - (1873–1938) was a Norwegian born, American artist and painter
  • Svend Rasmussen Svendsen - (1864–1945) was a Norwegian born, American impressionist artist.
  • Trygve Rovelstad - (1903–1990) was a renowned sculptor and designer of medals
  • Dan Weggeland - ( 1827–1918) is considered the "Father of Utah Art" and was an artist and teacher in the early history of Utah

[edit] Writers and Editors

Norman Borlaug

[edit] Others

Eliot Ness
  • Gunnar Berg (Scouting) - 1897-1987) was a national director of the Boy Scouts of America.
  • Norman Borlaug - (1914–2009) was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution”
  • Helga Estby - (1860–1942) was a Norwegian-American immigrant most noted for her walk across the United States during 1896.
  • David Grose - (1944–2004) was a world-renowned authority on the classification of early ancient glass from the Roman period
  • George Harbo - (1870–1946) was Norwegian-born Americans who in 1896, became the first people ever to row across an ocean.
  • Alf Gundersen
  • Belle Gunness – (1859, 1908?), was a Norwegian born, American serial killer.
  • Paris Hilton - American heiress and media personality. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton (founder of Hilton Hotels)
  • Oscar Hauge - (1868—1945) served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
  • Merle Hansen - (1919–2009) was the founding president of the North American Farm Alliance and a spokesman for the plight of family farmers.
  • Clarence Iverson - popular radio personal in the Midwest during the 1930s and 1940s
  • Gunnar Kaasen - (1882–1960) was a Norwegian-born musher who delivered a cylinder containing 300,000 units of diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska, in 1925, as the last leg of a dog sled relay that saved the U.S. city from an epidemic
  • Eliot Ness - (1903–1957) was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois. He was also the leader of team The Untouchables.
  • Pat Paulsen - (1927–1997) was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his campaigns for President of the United States
  • Gary O. Rollefson - American Anthropologist
  • Frank Samuelsen – (1870–1946) Norwegian-born American who in 1896, became the first people ever to row across an ocean.
  • Tim Schafer - American computer game designer.
  • Nels Skumsrud
  • Jacqueline Smith – Norwegian trade unionist.
  • Thorvald Solberg - (1852–1949) was the first Register of Copyrights (1897–1930) in the United States Copyright Office.
  • Kevin Alfred Strom - former Managing Director of National Vanguard.
  • Per Ivarson Undi - (1803–1860), also known as Peter Iverson, was an early Norwegian-American homesteader in Wisconsin Territory.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Henry W. Orth (AIA Historical Directory of American Architects)
  2. ^ maternal grandparents were immigrants from Norway
  3. ^ freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
  4. ^ Grandmother Randi Toseth was born in Rennebu in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway
  5. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak/10-things-you-didnt-know-_1_b_1016372.html
  6. ^ wargs.com
  7. ^ freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
  8. ^ Col. Orin D. "Hard Rock" Haugen
  9. ^ stepfather's ancestry was Norwegian
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Norwegian_Americans&oldid=471741325"
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