Theodore Christian Blegen (16 July 1891 – 18 July 1969) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

historian and writer. Blegen was the writer of numerous historic reference books, papers and articles written over a five decade period. His primary areas of focus were of the history of the state of Minnesota and of Norwegian-American immigration.

Background

Theodore Christian Blegen was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

to Anna Regine (1854-1925) and John H. Blegen (1851-1928), both of whom had emigrated from

Lillehammer, Norway Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

. His father was a professor at

Augsburg College Augsburg University is a private university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was founded in 1869 as a Norwegian-American Lutheran seminary known as Augsburg Seminarium. Today, the u ...

in Minneapolis and played a central role in the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America. He was the younger brother of noted archaeologist

Carl Blegen Carl William Blegen (January 27, 1887 – August 24, 1971) was an American archaeologist who worked at the site of Pylos in Greece and Troy in modern-day Turkey. He directed the University of Cincinnati excavations of the mound of Hisarlik, the ...

. Blegen’s undergraduate studies at

B.A. (1910) were followed by graduate work at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

M.A. (1915), Ph.D. (1925) that led to a doctorate in history. In 1928, he was a

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

and studied in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Career

Blegen did high-school teaching at

Fergus Falls, Minnesota Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 census. History The falls from which the city gets part of its name were discovered by Joe Whitford (a Scotti ...

, and at

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. Blegen was a professor of history (1920–1927) at

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline o ...

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, after which he moved to the

(1927–1939), later serving as dean of the graduate school (1940–1960). His career with the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehoo ...

began in 1922, serving an apprenticeship in the arts of editing and meticulous research. He succeeded to the position of superintendent of the historical society, and a seat on the executive council, serving until 1939. He returned to the Society as a research fellow in 1960 after his retirement from teaching. In 1925, Blegen was appointed the first managing editor of the

Norwegian-American Historical Association Norwegian-American Historical Association is a non-profit, member-supported organization dedicated to locating, collecting, preserving and interpreting the Norwegian-American experience. It publishes scholarly books and maintains a historical arc ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he directed the National Historical Service, preparing materials for the U.S. Army's G.I. Roundtable. He was elected president of the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad inc ...

in 1943. He was also one of the founders of the

Forest History Society The Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history."Forest History Society." Echo Project. Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. http://echo.gmu. ...

, serving two terms as president. He was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1963, and for more than twenty years served on the Society's executive committee. The Forest History Society initiated the Theodore C. Blegen Award in 1972. Blegen received recognition in the form of honorary degrees from Hamline University,

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling ...

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

, Luther College, and

Augustana College Augustana College may refer to: *Augustana College (Illinois) *Augustana University Sioux Falls, South Dakota *Augustana University College, Alberta See also *Augustana Divinity School (Neuendettelsau) The Augustana-Hochschule Neuendettelsau is ...

. Blegen was made honorary doctor at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

, 1938. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

from 1946 and The Royal Norwegian Society from 1954. In 1950 he was knighted into the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

. Blegen Hall on the

Twin Cities Campus is named after Theodore C. Blegen. The research papers of Dr. Blegen was located in the University Archives, University of Minnesota. The

also has a collection of Theodore C. Blegen papers. ''Theodore C. Blegen Awards'' (The Forest History Society)

Selected bibliography

* "James Wickes Taylor: A Biographical Sketch." ''Minnesota History Bulletin'' 1.4 (1915): 153-219
online
* ''The historical records of the Scandinavians in America'' (1918
online
* "A Plan for the Union of British North America and the United States, 1866." ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' 4.4 (1918): 470-483
online
* "The Competition of the Northwestern States for Immigrants." ''Wisconsin Magazine of History'' (1919): 3-29
online
* "The Early Norwegian Press in America." ''Minnesota History Bulletin'' 3.8 (1920): 506-518
online
* "Cleng Peerson and Norwegian Immigration." ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' 7.4 (1921): 303-331. legen, Theodore C. "Cleng Peerson and Norwegian Immigration." The Mississippi Valley Historical Review 7.4 (1921): 303-331. online*''Norwegian Migration to America, 1825-1860'' (1931) *''Norwegian Emigrant Songs and Ballads'' (1936) *''Building Minnesota'' (1938
online free to borrow
*''A Review and a Challenge'' (1938) *''Norwegian Migration to America: The American Transition'' (1940) *''Grass Roots History'' (1947) *''The Land Lies Open'' (1949) * ''With Various Voices Recordings Of North Star Life'' (1949
online
*''Lincoln's Imagery: A Study in Word Power'' (1954
online
* Editor, ''Land of their choice: the immigrants write home'' (U of Minnesota Press, 1955). *''Minnesota: A History of the State'' (1963) *''Kensington Rune Stone, New Light on an Old Riddle'' (1968)

References

Additional Source

*Flanagan, John T. (1977) ''Theodore C Blegen, a Memoir'' ( Northfield, MN: Norwegian-American Historical Association) *Commager, Henry Steele (1961) ''Immigration and American history : essays in honor of Theodore C. Blegen'' (Minneapolis, MN : University of Minnesota Press)

External links

Portrait of Theodore C. Blegen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blegen, Theodore C. American people of Norwegian descent Augsburg University alumni 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 1891 births 1969 deaths University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni American Lutherans People from Fergus Falls, Minnesota 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century American male writers