Svenska Sällskapet (The Swedish Society) is a private men´s social club formed in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

in 1926 by Nils Leon Jansson,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

consul to Minnesota and the NW States and served as president from 1926 to 1931. Membership at that time was limited to 50 men of Swedish birth or descent and of good character, and who have demonstrated sympathy with the aims and purposes with the Society and who will add to the credit of the Society.

History

In the late 1880s through the first quarter of the 20th century, the United States government was eager to attract Swedish immigrants to settle the lands of the upper mid-west. Swede’s were known for their strong work ethic and their forestry and lumber skills, and made ideal recruits for developing the state of Minnesota. Swede’s also had a very high literacy rate, and soon there was a thriving Swedish cultural community in Minnesota with Swedish language newspapers, magazines, entertainers, business leaders, professionals, and government officials. In particular, the

American Swedish Institute The American Swedish Institute (ASI) is a museum and cultural center in the Phillips West, Minneapolis, Phillips West neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The organization is dedicated to the preservation and study of the histo ...

was founded by

Swan Turnblad Swan J. Turnblad (October 7, 1860 – May 17, 1933) was an American newspaper publisher. Turnblad was the manager of the '' Svenska Amerikanska Posten'', a Swedish language newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Later in his life he donated pr ...

, a publisher of Swedish language newspapers. Many fraternal organizations were developed during this period including VASA, Gustav Adolf Society, Svithoid, as well as Svenska Sällskapet. Prior to World War II, the activities of Svenska Sällskapet were regularly reported in the society pages of the major newspapers in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The first meetings were held at the homes of members, starting with Dr. K. Paul Carson, a dentist, and Victor Nelson, a college professor with a Ph.D in languages. Later, the meetings were held in hotel dining rooms. Our by-laws were originally adopted in 1946.

References

External link

Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Svenska Sallskapet Organizations established in 1925 Swedish-American culture in Minneapolis–Saint Paul