Laurence Conrad Eklund (May 16, 1905 – June 20, 2002) was an American journalist and long time head of the Washington bureau for the '' Milwaukee Journal''. He was born in

Tomahawk, Wisconsin Tomahawk is a city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,346 at the 2010 census. The city is located to the northeast of the Town of Tomahawk and is not contiguous with it. History Before 1837, the land where Tomaha ...

. His father was an immigrant from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. His brother was

antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

explorer and scientist

Carl R. Eklund Carl Robert Eklund (January 27, 1909 – November 3, 1962) was a leading American specialist in ornithology and geographic research in both the north and south polar regions. He was appointed as the first Scientific Station Leader of the Wilkes S ...

. After graduation from Tomahawk High School, he went to the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He was an associate editor of '' The Daily Cardinal'' and was elected to the Iron Cross Society. He graduated in 1927 with a degree in journalism. He worked at the Journal for 43 years, which included the position of Washington bureau chief from 1947 to 1970. In 1975 he received knighthood in the Royal Order of the Polar Star from the government of

. In 1990 he was inducted into the

Milwaukee Press Club The Milwaukee Press Club, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the oldest continuously operating press club in the United States. The club comprises journalists and others in the media in the Milwaukee area, as well as journalism educators, public relation ...

Hall of Fame. He was member of the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

and the Gridiron Club. He was married 53 years to Ethel, who died in 1982. Laurence died in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

at the age of 97. He was survived by a son John.

References

1905 births 2002 deaths People from Tomahawk, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Journalists from Wisconsin Order of the Polar Star American people of Swedish descent 20th-century American journalists American male journalists {{US-journalist-1900s-stub