Danish Americans
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
descent. There are approximately 1,500,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. Most Danish-Americans live in the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
or the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
.
Population
According to the United States Census of 2000, the states with the largest populations of Danish Americans are as follows:- CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- 207,030 - UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
- 144,713 - MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
- 88,924 - WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
- 72,160 - Washington - 72,098
The states with the smallest populations of Danish Americans are as follows:
- West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
- 1,317 - DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
- 1,585 - Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
- 1,811 - VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
- 2,522 - MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
- 2,617
If it were a state, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, would have the smallest Danish American population, with 1,047 counted in 2000.
Usage of Danish Language
Danish Americans that continue the usage of the Danish languageDanish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
number about 30,000. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2000, 33,400 people spoke Danish at home, the figure was down to 29,467 5 years later (2005 American Community Survey), the decrease rate was about 11.8%.
Culture
The Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
has noted that Danish Americans, more so than other Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n Americans, "spread nationwide and comparatively quickly disappeared into the melting pot
Melting pot
The melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture...
....the Danes were the least cohesive group and the first to lose consciousness of their origins." Historians have pointed to the higher rate of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
use among Danes, their willingness to marry non-Danes, and their eagerness to become naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
citizens as factors that contributed to their rapid assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
, as well as their interactions with the already more assimilated German American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
community.
Much that is regarded as "Danish" national culture today was not widespread in the psyche of Danish emigrants during the Nineteenth Century era of immigration to the United States. It would take the European nationalism and class struggles of the late Nineteenth Century to effectively seed the ideas of a distinctive national cultural personality. While many Danish emigrants to the U.S.A. fared far better economically than emigrants from Eastern Europe, a deep cultural awareness of Danish literature, with popular fiction authors such as H. C. Andersen, did not exist among the agrarian bønder or common people of Denmark. Exceptions exist, of course, and primary among these are a rich heritage of folklore, an affinity to art, and regional traditions involving food and feast days.
As the Danes came to America, they brought with them their traditional foods. Popular Danish cuisine includes kringle
Kringle
Kringle is a Scandinavian pastry, a Nordic variety of pretzel, which arrived with Roman Catholic monks in the 13th century, especially in Denmark...
(almond paste pastry), Wienerbrød and fastelavn bolle or Danish pastry
Danish pastry
Danish pastry is a sweet pastry which has become a specialty of Denmark and neighbouring Scandinavian countries and is popular throughout the industrialized world, although the form it takes can differ significantly from country to country...
(what Americans call breakfast "Danish"), æbleskiver
Æbleskiver
Æbleskiver are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover...
(puffed pan cakes), frikadeller
Frikadeller
Frikadeller are flat, pan-fried dumplings of minced meat, often likened to the Danish version of meatballs. They are a popular dish in Germany, where they are known as Frikadellen, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Poland , Russia, Ukraine and the Netherlands...
(Danish veal and pork meatballs), Flæskesteg (Christmas pork roast), and risengrød (rice pudding). Despite the perceived importance of beer in modern Danish national culture, Danish immigrants were largely unsuccessful in penetrating the American beer industry, which was saturated by immigrant German and Czech brew masters.
In 1872, Danish Americans in Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, founded the Den Danske Pioneer
Den Danske Pioneer
Den Danske Pioneer is the oldest Danish-language newspaper published in the United States. Den Danske Pioneer is one of two remaining Danish-language newspapers in the United States. The other is Bien , a weekly newspaper based in California.-History:Den Danske Pioneer was founded in 1872 by Mark...
, or Danish Pioneer, an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
newspaper. Now published in Hoffman Estates
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates is a northwestern suburb of Chicago in Illinois. The village is located primarily in Cook County with a small section in Kane County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 49,495 and estimated to be 52,520 in 2003...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, it is the oldest Danish American newspaper in publication.
Education
Like many other immigrant groups, Danish Americans also founded schools to educate their youth. Traditional Danish "folk schools," which focused more on learning outcomes than grades or diplomas, were operated primarily between the 1870s and 1930s in heavily Danish communities such as Racine, WisconsinRacine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, Elk Horn, Iowa
Elk Horn, Iowa
Elk Horn is a city in Shelby County, Iowa, United States. The population was 649 at the 2000 census. Elk Horn is known as a center of Danish ethnicity and is home to The Danish Immigrant Museum...
; Ashland, Michigan; West Denmark, Wisconsin
West Denmark, Wisconsin
West Denmark is an unincorporated community located in the town of Luck, Polk County, Wisconsin, United States....
; Nysted, Nebraska; Tyler, Minnesota
Tyler, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,218 people, 532 households, and 338 families residing in the city. The population density was 632.8 people per square mile . There were 577 housing units at an average density of 299.8 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.78% White, 0.49%...
; Kenmare, North Dakota
Kenmare, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,081 people, 468 households, and 278 families residing in the city. The population density was 872.8 people per square mile . There were 553 housing units at an average density of 446.5 per square mile...
; and Solvang, California
Solvang, California
Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...
. Omaha, Nebraska
Danes in Omaha, Nebraska
The Danish people in Omaha, Nebraska were a predominant ethnic group in the city in the 1920s, and were notable for that compared to other cities across the United States...
and neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
, had major colonies of Danes for many years.
The one major still-operating historically Danish American college is Grand View University, founded in 1896 in Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Grand View University continues to maintain a large archival collection of Danish American history. Another institution, Dana College
Dana College
Dana College is a now defunct baccalaureate college located in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre campus is approximately 25 miles northwest of Omaha, and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley....
in Blair
Blair, Nebraska
Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2000 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, operated from 1884 until 2010, but closed its doors in July 2010. The Danish American Archive and Library that once resided at Dana College
Dana College
Dana College is a now defunct baccalaureate college located in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre campus is approximately 25 miles northwest of Omaha, and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley....
is now independently situated in Blair
Blair, Nebraska
Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2000 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. The archive contains the country’s largest and broadest collection of materials relating to the life experience, cultural heritage and vital contributions to North America of the people of Danish extraction.
Religious life
Like other groups of Americans of ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n descent, many of them are Lutherans. Lutheran pioneer minister, Claus Lauritz Clausen
Claus Lauritz Clausen
Claus Lauritz Clausen was an American pioneer Lutheran minister, church leader, military chaplain and politician.-Biography:...
, the first president of the Norwegian-Danish Lutheran Conference
Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America usually called the Conference was a Lutheran church body that existed in the United States from 1870 to 1890, when it merged into the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America....
, traveled to Denmark and influenced religious leaders to send pastors to America. The oldest Danish Lutheran congregation is Emmaus Lutheran Church in Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, founded August 22, 1851. Nearby Kenosha
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
is home to the second oldest Danish Lutheran congregation, St. Mary's Lutheran Church, which is the largest congregation in the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
.
In addition, a large number of Danish Americans belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Between 1849 and 1904, some 17,000 Danish Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s and their children made the journey to the Church's settlements in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, making Danes second only to the British in number of foreigners recruited by the church to the state.
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
have the largest concentrations of non-Mormon Danish Americans. The states with the largest Mormon Danish American populations are Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
-- and in the case of Idaho, particularly the southeastern part of the state.
Smaller but significant numbers of Danish Americans have also become Methodists, Baptists, Roman Catholics, and Seventh-day Adventists
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
.
Danish American communities
Two cities, ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, claim to be the home to the largest group of Danish Americans in the United States. Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, 25 miles south of Milwaukee has the largest concentration of city dwellers with Danish origin. A number of other communities were founded by Danish Americans or have a large Danish American community:
- Ames, IowaAmes, IowaAmes is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
- Askov, MinnesotaAskov, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 368 people, 165 households, and 92 families residing in the city. The population density was 288.3 people per square mile . There were 181 housing units at an average density of 141.8 per square mile...
- Blair, NebraskaBlair, NebraskaBlair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2000 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Bowbells, North DakotaBowbells, North DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 406 people, 174 households, and 116 families residing in the town. The population density was 511.2 people per square mile . There were 214 housing units at an average density of 269.5 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 98.77% White, 0.74%...
- Brush, ColoradoBrush, ColoradoThe City of Brush is a Statutory City located in Morgan County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Brush is located at ....
- Buffalo, WyomingBuffalo, WyomingBuffalo is a city in Johnson County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,900 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County...
- Cedar Fort, UtahCedar Fort, UtahCedar Fort is a town in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 341 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cedar Fort is located at ....
- Dagmar, MontanaDagmar, MontanaDagmar is an unincorporated community in northeastern Sheridan County, Montana, United States. The town was established in 1906 by early Danish immigrants to the area....
- Dania, Florida
- Danevang, TexasDanevang, TexasDanevang is a community in Wharton County in the U.S. state of Texas. It lies along Texas State Highway 71.-External links:* at The Handbook of Texas Online...
- Daneville, North Dakota
- Dannebrog, NebraskaDannebrog, NebraskaDannebrog is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 352 at the 2000 census...
- Denmark, WisconsinDenmark, WisconsinDenmark is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,123 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- Donnybrook, North DakotaDonnybrook, North DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 90 people, 36 households, and 28 families residing in the city. The population density was 128.5 people per square mile . There were 46 housing units at an average density of 65.7 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 95.56% White, 4.44% from other...
- Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, MinnesotaDuluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
- Elk Horn, IowaElk Horn, IowaElk Horn is a city in Shelby County, Iowa, United States. The population was 649 at the 2000 census. Elk Horn is known as a center of Danish ethnicity and is home to The Danish Immigrant Museum...
- Elsinore, UtahElsinore, UtahElsinore is a town in Sevier County, Utah, United States. The population was 733 at the 2000 census.-History:The community was first settled in the spring of 1874 by James C. Jensen, Jens Iver Jensen, and others. The area was settled by Danish converts to Mormonism, and named after Kronborg...
- Fertile Valley, North Dakota
- Flaxton, North DakotaFlaxton, North DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 73 people, 40 households, and 19 families residing in the city. The population density was 258.8 people per square mile . There were 77 housing units at an average density of 273.0 per square mile...
- Greenville, MichiganGreenville, MichiganGreenville is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. Portions of the county are associated with the Western region while others are more closely associated with the Central Michigan region. The population was 8,481 at the 2010 census...
- Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, ConnecticutHartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
- Jamestown, KansasJamestown, KansasJamestown is a city in Cloud County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 286.-1911 fire:In 1911 the entire downtown shopping district was destroyed by a fire...
- Kenaston, North Dakota
- Kenmare, North DakotaKenmare, North DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 1,081 people, 468 households, and 278 families residing in the city. The population density was 872.8 people per square mile . There were 553 housing units at an average density of 446.5 per square mile...
- Kenosha, WisconsinKenosha, WisconsinKenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
- Kimballton, IowaKimballton, IowaKimballton is a city in Audubon County, Iowa, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kimballton is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
- Luck, WisconsinLuck, WisconsinLuck is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,210 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Luck is located at ....
- Madison, WisconsinMadison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
- Manti, UtahManti, Utah-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,040 people, 930 households, and 742 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,560.2 people per square mile . There were 1,010 housing units at an average density of 518.3 per square mile...
- Milwaukee, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
- Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
- Nysted, Nebraska
- Omaha, NebraskaDanes in Omaha, NebraskaThe Danish people in Omaha, Nebraska were a predominant ethnic group in the city in the 1920s, and were notable for that compared to other cities across the United States...
- Payson, UtahPayson, UtahPayson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in...
- Perth Amboy, New JerseyPerth Amboy, New JerseyPerth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
- Seattle, Washington
- Solvang, CaliforniaSolvang, CaliforniaSolvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 5,245 at the 2010 census, down from 5,332 at the 2000 census...
- South Portland, MaineSouth Portland, MaineSouth Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
- Tyler, MinnesotaTyler, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 1,218 people, 532 households, and 338 families residing in the city. The population density was 632.8 people per square mile . There were 577 housing units at an average density of 299.8 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.78% White, 0.49%...
- Viborg, South DakotaViborg, South DakotaViborg is a city in Turner County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 782 at the 2010 census.Founded by Danish-Americans, the city is most likely named after the Danish city of Viborg...
- Washington Island, WisconsinWashington Island (Wisconsin)Washington Island is located about 7 miles northeast of the tip of Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin. The island has a year-round population of 660 people . It has a land area of 60.89 km² and comprises over 92 percent of the land area of the town of Washington, as well as all of its...
- Westbrook, MaineWestbrook, MaineWestbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland. The population was 17,494 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
- Westby, MontanaWestby, MontanaAs of the census of 2000, there were 172 people, 88 households, and 52 families residing in the town. The population density was 317.2 people per square mile . There were 121 housing units at an average density of 223.1 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 98.26% White, 1.16% Native...
Additionally, Danish Americans helped settle three U.S. counties: Montcalm
Montcalm County, Michigan
-Michigan State Highways:* M-46* M-57* M-66* M-82* M-91-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 61,266 people, 22,079 households, and 16,183 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 25,900 housing units at an average density...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
; St. Louis
St. Louis County, Minnesota
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 200,226. Its county seat is Duluth. It is the largest county by total area in Minnesota, and the second largest in the United States east of the Mississippi River; in land area alone, after Aroostook...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
; and Sanpete
Sanpete County, Utah
Sanpete County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. The population according to the 2010 U.S. Census was 27,822. It was possibly named for a Ute Indian chief named Sanpitch, which was corrupted to Sanpete. Its county seat is Manti and its largest city is Ephraim.-Geography:According to...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
Art
Gutzon Borglum
Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American artist and sculptor famous for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, the famous carving on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, as well as other public works of art.- Background :The son of Mormon Danish immigrants, Gutzon...
provided a staple of modern Americana when he chiseled Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. His brother, sculptor Solon Borglum
Solon Borglum
Solon Hannibal de la Mothe Borglum was an American sculptor. He is most noted for his depiction of frontier life, and especially his experience with cowboys and native Americans....
, also gained fame for his representations of the American frontier. Among America's earliest oil painters of merit is Amadeus Christian Gullager
Christian Gullager
Christian Gullager was an artist specializing in portraits and theatrical scenery in the late 18th century; he worked in Boston, Massachusetts, New York, and Philadelphia. Born in Copenhagen, he trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In America, portrait subjects included president...
, a premier painter in early Federal America, who also worked in terra cotta. The marine painters Antonio Jacobsen
Antonio Jacobsen
Antonio Nicolo Gasparo Jacobsen was a Danish-born American maritime artist known as the "Audubon of Steam Vessels".-Biography:...
and Emil Carlsen
Emil Carlsen
Soren Emil Carlsen was an American Impressionist painter who emigrated to the United States from Denmark...
left a considerable body of work which continues to draw strong art auction prices. Several Danish artists settled in the American West where they left their mark on the regional artistic genre. Not least among this group is counted Olaf Wieghorst
Olaf Wieghorst
Olaf Wieghorst was a painter of the American West in the vein of Frederic Remington and Charles Russell....
, called the "Dean of Western Painters," and Olaf Seltzer. Johann Berthelsen
Johann Berthelsen
Johann Henrik Carl Berthelsen was a prominent and prolific American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban scenes. He is most commonly known for his poetic renditions of New York City.-Background:...
was a prominent and prolific Impressionist painter known for his urban scenes, especially those of New York City. On the less formal level, Carl Christian Anton Christensen
Carl Christian Anton Christensen
Carl Christian Anton Christensen was a Danish-American artist who is known for his paintings illustrating the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of him it has been said that he "did more than any other person to capture the images of the history of Mormon migration to...
, is America's Danish-American equivalent of "Grandma Moses." In the early American decorative arts, one Danish-Afro-American stands out in particular - the accomplished Danish West Indies silversmith Peter Bentzon, who produced his masterpieces in both St. Croix and Philadelphia. Another early Danish-American artisan was Peter Hanson, a landscape painter, tulip authority, and daguerreian. Hanson was born in Denmark in 1821 and came to America c. 1847, when he settled in Brooklyn, NY, with a photography studio in the Bowery. Roland Petersen
Roland Petersen
Roland Petersen is an American painter and printmaker of Danish birth.Petersen was born in Endelave, Denmark in 1926. He studied at University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco Art Institute, California College of Arts and Crafts, Atelier 17 , Islington Studio, London, the Print Workshop,...
born in Endelave
Endelave
Endelave is a Danish island in the Kattegat, north of Odense, off the coast of Funen, and west of Samsø. The island covers an area of and has 185 inhabitants.- See also :* Nearby islands: Hjarnø, Tunø, Samsø, Æbelø, Alrø....
, Denmark in 1926, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter and printmaker. He is known for his distinctive and recognizable style of intaglio
Intaglio
Intaglio are techniques in art in which an image is created by cutting, carving or engraving into a flat surface and may also refer to objects made using these techniques:* Intaglio , a group of printmaking techniques with an incised image...
printmaking. Peter Sekaer
Peter Sekaer
Peter Sekaer was a Danish-American photographer and artist.thumb|250px|Peter Sekaer, Trailers for defense workers at Vultee Aircraft Plant. Nashville, Tennessee, 1941...
(born Peter Ingemann Sekjær (1901) was a Danish-American photographer and artist. Born in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Sekaer came to New York in 1918 to seek freedom and opportunity. By 1922 he acquired a reputation as a master sign painter and later as a master photographer documenting the New Deal and the plight of America's Depression Era.
Science
Jens ClausenJens Clausen
Jens Christen Clausen was a Danish-American botanist, geneticist, and ecologist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of ecological and evolutionary genetics of plants.-Biography:Clausen was born in Eskilstrup, Denmark...
revolutionized the study of evolutionary genetics
Evolutionary genetics
Evolutionary genetics is the broad field of studies that attempts to account for evolution in terms of changes in gene and genotype frequencies within populations and the processes that convert the variation with populations into more or less permanent variation between species...
in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, while Erik Erikson
Erik Erikson
Erik Erikson was a Danish-German-American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on social development of human beings. He may be most famous for coining the phrase identity crisis. His son, Kai T...
revolutionized developmental psychology with his theory on social development
Erikson's stages of psychosocial development
Erikson's stages of psychosocial development as articulated by Erik Erikson explain eight stages through which a healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. In each stage the person confronts, and hopefully masters, new challenges. Each stage builds on the successful...
. Niels Ebbesen Hansen
Niels Ebbesen Hansen
Niels Ebbesen Hansen was a Danish-American horticulturist and botanist who was a pioneer in Plant breeding.-Background:...
was a noted pioneer in Plant breeding
Plant breeding
Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...
.
Charles Christian Lauritsen
Charles Christian Lauritsen
Charles Christian Lauritsen was a Danish-born, American physicist.-Early life and career:Lauritsen was born in Holstebro, Denmark and studied architecture at the Odense Tekniske Skole, graduating in 1911...
was a physicist. In the final months of World War II he was part of the team of scientists who invented the atomic bomb.
Mikkel Frandsen
Mikkel Frandsen
Mikkel Frandsen was a Danish American physical chemist noted for experiments involving chemical thermodynamics, oil, and heavy water. Heavy water is water that has an unusual and distinctive atomic structure...
was a physical chemist noted for his experiments involving chemical thermodynamics, oil, and heavy water.
Adam Giede Boving served as Assistant Curator of Entomology in the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen from 1902 to 1913 and after emigration became a Research Associate at the Smithsonian, in 1939 he joined the staff of the Bureau of Entomology at United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) until his retirement in 1945.
Sports
Battling Nelson
Oscar Mathæus Nielsen, also known as Battling Nelson, was a Danish boxer who held the world lightweight championship on two separate occasions...
, (1882-1954) was a Danish boxer who held the world lightweight championship on two separate occasions. He was nicknamed "the Durable Dane". Nelson was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and emigrated to the United States in 1883. Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen , nicknamed "The Great Dane", is a former National Football League kicker. He holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, as well as being the all-time leading scorer for two different teams; the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent 13 seasons, and...
holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history and the all-time leading scorer for two different teams.
George Nissen
George Nissen
George P. Nissen was an American gymnast and inventor who developed the modern trampoline and made trampolining a worldwide sport.-Background:...
(1914-2010) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
and inventor who developed the modern trampoline
Trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes....
and made trampolining
Trampolining
Trampolining is a competitive Olympic sport in which gymnasts perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. These can include simple jumps in the pike, tuck or straddle position to more complex combinations of forward or backward somersaults and twists....
a worldwide sport. Related to American sports culture, competitive swimming and sports apparel have never been the same since Danish-American Carl C. Jantzen and his partners founded the Jantzen
Jantzen
Jantzen is a brand of swimwear that was established in 1916 and first appeared in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The brand name later replaced the name of the parent company that manufactured the branded products...
Knitting Works in Portland, Oregon, in 1910.
Music
Carl BuschCarl Busch
Carl Busch was a Danish-born American composer and music teacher sometimes associated with the Indianist movement. He was an important figure in the musical life of Kansas City, Missouri for many years.-Background:Busch was born in Bjerre, on Jutland, to a lawyer and his wife, and was the...
readily stands out as a Danish-American composer who embraced new musical themes, taking his artistic inspiration from "Western" Native-American tribal themes and melodies. The Danish-American tubist Anders Christian August Helleberg is remembered as not only a great symphony musician and virtuoso, but his Helleberg mouthpieces, which he developed, are still used throughout the world. Mose Christensen
Mose Christensen
Moses "Mose" Christensen was an American musician, and founder and conductor of the Oregon Symphony .-Biography:...
was a noted American violinist; he became a founder and conductor of the Oregon Symphony. A native of Salt Lake, Utah, Christensen's father emigrated from Denmark with the wave of Mormon pioneers in the early 1850s. Kai Winding
Kai Winding
Kai Chresten Winding was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.-Biography:...
was a popular trombonist and jazz composer.
Entertainment
Barrison Sisters
The Barrison Sisters were a risqué Vaudeville act who performed in the United States and Europe from about 1891 to 1900, advertised as The Wickedest Girls In the World....
were a risqué Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
act who performed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from about 1891 to 1900, advertised as The Wickedest Girls In the World. The sisters, whose birth name was Bareisen, emigrated with their mother to the United States in 1886, joining their father who immigrated earlier. Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
, known as the Great Dane and Clown Prince of Denmark, gained fame for his offbeat comedy and music routines. Lauritz Melchior
Lauritz Melchior
Lauritz Melchior was a Danish and later American opera singer. He was the pre-eminent Wagnerian tenor of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and has since come to be considered the quintessence of his voice type.-Biography:...
was a Danish and later American opera singer. He was the pre-eminent Wagnerian tenor of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and has since come to be considered the quintessence of his voice type. Michael J. Nelson
Michael J. Nelson
Michael John Nelson is a U.S. comedian and writer, most famous for his work on the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's 11-year run, and spent half of that time playing the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson...
well known as the head writer of the series Mystery Science Theater 3000 and currently Rifftrax
Soren Sorensen Adams, who was known as "king of the professional pranksters," was an inventor and manufacturer of novelty products, including the Joy Buzzer
Joy Buzzer
A joy buzzer is a practical joke device that consists of a coiled spring inside a disc worn in the palm of the hand...
. He was born near Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1879 to Hans and Sofia Sørensen, and emigrated to the US with his family at age four, and grew up in Perth Amboy
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. His other contributions to American popular culture include: Cachoo Sneezing Powder, the Exploding Cigarette Box, the Snake Nut Can
Snake Nut Can
A snake nut can is a practical joke device that closely resembles a can of nuts, but contains a long wire spring covered by a cloth or vinyl sheath, printed like snake skin, which leaps out of the can and startles the unsuspecting victim....
, Itching Powder, the Stink bomb
Stink bomb
A stink bomb or stinkbomb is a device designed to create an unpleasant smell. They range in effectiveness from simple pranks to military grade or riot control chemical agents.The Guinness Book of Records lists two smelliest substances...
, and the Dribble glass
Dribble glass
A dribble glass is a drinking glass that has holes hidden in the etched design.The purpose of a dribble glass is for pranks. When a person tilts the glass to take a drink from this glass, he ends up spilling the liquid on his clothing as the drink trickles through the holes.The dribble glass was...
Journalism
Jacob RiisJacob Riis
Jacob August Riis was a Danish American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific...
, a prominent socially conscious journalist and photographer, used his influence to help the less fortunate of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his implementation of "model tenements. " As one of the first American photographers to use flash, he is also considered a pioneer in photo journalism.
Politics
William LeidesdorffWilliam Leidesdorff
William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. was one of the earliest mixed-race U.S. citizens in California and a highly successful, enterprising businessman. He was a West Indian immigrant of African Cuban, possibly Carib, Danish and Jewish ancestry. William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. became a United...
, the son of a Danish West Indies planter and an African mother arrived in San Francisco in 1841 and became both wealthy and arguably the first mixed-race U.S. diplomat in United States history. As the United States subconsul, he played a significant role in the turnover of Mexican California to the United States. Charles Walhart Woodman, who was born in Aalborg, Denmark, served as an U.S. Representative for Illinois from 1895-1897. Jacob Johnson
Jacob Johnson (U.S. politician)
Jacob Johnson was a U.S. Representative from Utah.Johnson was born in Aalborg, Denmark, but he emigrated to the United States in 1854. After living in both Utah and California, he studied law in Nevada. Returning to Utah, in 1872 he became a resident of Spring City in Sanpete County, where he was...
, who also emigrated from Aalborg, Denmark, in 1854 and later served one term as a U.S. Representative for Utah from 1912-1915. Niels Juul
Niels Juul
Niels Juul was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.Born in Randers, Denmark, Juul attended the Real School, Randers, Denmark....
a lawyer, State Representative, and U.S. Representative from Illinois, was born in Randers, Denmark, and served in Congress from 1917-1921. Andrew Petersen
Andrew Petersen
Andrew Nicholas Petersen was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born near Thisted, Denmark, Petersen immigrated to the United States in 1873 with his parents, who settled in Boston, Massachusetts. He moved to New York City in 1879. He attended the public schools and learned the patternmaker's...
, an U.S. Representative from New York, was born in Thisted, Denmark, and emigrated with his parents to Boston in 1873, the family later moving to New York. Petersen served in Congress from 1921-1923. Herman Carl Andersen, an U.S. Representative from Minnesota, was born in Washington state and after a career in Minnesota politics served in the House of Representatives from 1939-1963. Andersen's father emigrated from Denmark in the late 1870s and later moved his family to a Danish immigrant enclave in Tyler, Minnesota. Hjalmar Petersen
Hjalmar Petersen
Hjalmar Petersen was an American politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Minnesota.-Background:Hjalmar Petersen was born in Eskildstrup, Denmark...
, an emigrant from Eskildstrup, Denmark, Midwest journalist, and onetime mayor of Askov, Minnesota, served in the Minnesota Legislature, and later as the Lieutenant Governor. Upon the death of Governor Olson in 1936, he became the 23rd Governor of Minnesota. George A. Nelson
George A. Nelson
George A. Nelson was a dairy farmer, a farm organization leader, and an American socialist politician. He is best remembered as the 1936 candidate of the Socialist Party of America for Vice President of the United States.-Early years:...
, the 1936 Vice Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
, was born to Danish parents in rural Wisconsin. Morgan F. Larson, of Perth Amboy, NJ, the son of a Danish immigrant blacksmith, served as governor of New Jersey from 1929-32. Esther Peterson
Esther Peterson
Esther Eggertsen Peterson was a lifelong consumer and women's advocate.-Background:The daughter of Danish immigrants, Esther Eggertsen grew up in a Mormon family in Provo, Utah. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1927 with a degree in physical education. She moved to New York City...
, the daughter of Danish Mormon immigrants, grew-up in Provo, Utah, and later served as Assistant Secretary of Labor and Director of the United States Women's Bureau for President John F. Kennedy, Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and was named a delegate the UN as a UNESCO representative in 1993. Steny Hoyer
Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton Hoyer is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1981. The district includes a large swath of rural and suburban territory southeast of Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and the present House Majority Leader, is a native of New York City, but grew up in southern Maryland. Hoyer's father emigrated from Copenhagen, Denmark. Hoyer was bestowed a knighthood by the Queen of Denmark in 2008.
Movies
During the early days of Hollywood film making numerous Danes either produced, directed, or acted on the silver screen, to include: Robert Andersen, Ann Forest, Anders Randolph, Karl Dane, Otto Mathiesen, Winna Winfred, Gwili AndreGwili Andre
Gwili Andre was a Danish actress who had a brief career in Hollywood films.-Film career:Born Gurli Andresen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Andre came to Hollywood in the early 1930s with the intention of establishing herself as a film star...
, Gale Sondergaard, Torben Meyer
Torben Meyer
Torben Emil Meyer was a Danish character actor who appeared in over 190 films in a 55-year career.-Early career:...
, Bodil Rosing, Benjamin Christensen, Svend Gade, Carl Gerard
Carl Gerard
Carl Gerard , sometimes credited as Carl Gerrard, was a Danish-American actor well known for playing supporting roles.- Personal life :Gerard was born Carl Gerhard Petersen in Copenhagen, Denmark...
, Ann Forrest
Ann Forrest
Ann Forrest was a Danish actress of Hollywood silent films.-Biography:...
, James Cruze, Jean Hersholt
Jean Hersholt
Jean Pierre Hersholt was a Danish-born actor who lived in the United States, where he was a leading film and radio talent, best known for his 17 years starring on radio in Dr. Christian and for playing Shirley Temple's grandfather in Heidi...
, Carl Brisson
Carl Brisson
Carl Brisson , born Carl Frederik Ejnar Pedersen was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 12 silent films between 1918 and 1935, including two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock...
, Johannes Poulsen, William Orlamond
William Orlamond
William Orlamond was an American film actor.Orlamond appeared in 81 films between 1912 and 1938. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in Los Angeles, California, United States.-Selected filmography:...
, Max Ree
Max Rée
Max Rée was a Danish Costume Designer and art director. He won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for the film Cimarron.He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in Los Angeles, California.-External links:...
(1931 Oscar), and Tambi Larsen
Tambi Larsen
Tambi Larsen was a Dane born in Bangalore, India. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 20, where he attended Yale Drama School. He married Barbara Dole in 1941 and became an American citizen in 1943. Tambi struggled to make a living as a set designer for Broadway shows...
.
More to modern times, many Danes are actively involved in the movie industry, however today's air transportation no longer necessitates a Dane moving to America to be an artistic part of Hollywood. Among the few Danes who have moved to the U.S.A. to pursue acting careers is Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen, who was born in Denmark and today lives in Sausalito, California. Additionally, a few stars signal the offspring from Danish-American parents. For example, the actor Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
was born to a Danish father and an American mother. Likewise, actress Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
was also born to a Danish father.
Military
Christian FebigerChristian Febiger
Hans Christian Febiger was an American Revolutionary War commander, confidante of General George Washington and an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati...
(1749-1796) was an American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
commander, born on Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
, he became a confidante of General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
. Known by the moniker "Old Denmark", Febiger also served as Treasurer of Pennsylvania from November 13, 1789 until his death nearly seven years later.
Chris Madsen
Chris Madsen
Chris Madsen was a lawman of the Old West who is best known as being one of The Three Guardsmen, the name given to Madsen and two other Deputy US Marshals who were responsible for the apprehension and/or killing of several outlaws of that era...
, the famous lawman of the Old West, was born Chris Madsen Rormose in Denmark. After emigrating in 1876, he served for 15 years in the U.S. Army in the Fifth Cavalry and fought in many major Indian campaigns. After his discharge in 1891, Madsen became a deputy U.S. marshal in the Oklahoma Territory, where he apprehended or killed many outlaws. In 1898, he joined Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, serving as Quartermaster Sergeant. After more service as a U.S. marshal, and at the outset of World War I, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army but was rejected due to his age
Robert A. Arensen, FM1, USN, lost his life on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor when the U.S.S. Helena was torpedoed. Arensen came from Perth Amboy, NJ. Dale M. Hansen , Pvt., USMC, earned his nation's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his outstanding heroism on 7 May 1945 in the fight for Hill 60 on Okinawa. He was killed by enemy sniper fire three days later. Hansen came from Wisner, Nebraska. Camp Hansen, one of the ten Marine Corps camps on Okinawa, is named in honor of Pvt. Hansen.
A leading executive in the automobile industry, William S. Knudsen
William S. Knudsen
William Signius Knudsen was a leading automotive industry executive. His experience and success as a key senior manager in the operations sides of Ford Motor Company and later General Motors led the Franklin Roosevelt Administration to commission him as a Lieutenant General in the United States...
, an emigrant from Copenhagen, Denmark, accepted President Franklin Roosevelt's urging to manage the task of overseeing America's vast wartime military armament and supply production. In 1942, Knudsen accepted a brevet commission and served for the duration of the war as a Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army.
Danish born Congressional Medal of Honor recipients
- James Miller (Medal of Honor) (1865), Quartermaster, USN, U.S.S. Marblehead, for action on St. John's Island on 25 Dec 1863. Born Denmark.
- John Brown (Medal of Honor)John Brown (Medal of Honor)-External links:...
(1866), Captain of the Afterguard, USN, for rescuing two seamen of the U.S.S. Winooski off Eastport, ME, on 10 May 1866. Born in Denmark. - James Benson (Medal of Honor)James Benson (Medal of Honor)-External links:...
(1872), Seaman, USN, U.S.S. Ossipee, for lifesaving on 20 Jun 1872. Born Denmark. - Claus Kristian Randolph ClausenClaus Kristian Randolph ClausenClaus Kristian Randolph Clausen was an enlisted man and later an officer in the United States Navy. He received America's highest military decoration - the Medal of Honor - for actions in the Spanish-American War....
, (1899) Coxwain, USN, for heroism connected to the sinking of the U.S.S. Merrimac, Santiago, Cuba, on 2 Jun 1898. Born Denmark. - Frederick MullerFrederick MullerFrederick Muller was a sailor serving in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War who received the Medal of Honor for bravery.-Biography:...
(1901), Mate, USN, U.S.S. Wompatuck, for action at Manzanillo, Cuba, on 30 Jun 1898. Born Denmark. - Gotfred JensenGotfred JensenGotfred Jensen was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine-American War. He was a member of Young's Scouts and was one of thirteen Scouts awarded the Medal between 16 and May 19, 1899...
(1906), Private. Co. D, 1st ND Vol. Inf. for action at San Miguel de Mayumo, Luzon, Philippine Islands, on 13 May 1899. Born Denmark.
Infamous Danish Americans
Robert Hansen
Robert Christian Hansen is an American serial killer. Between 1980 and 1983, Hansen murdered between 17 and 21 women near Anchorage, Alaska.- Early life :Hansen was born in Estherville, Iowa to Christian and Edna Hansen...
(Robert Christian Hansen) is a serial killer, who between 1980 and 1983 murdered between 17 and 21 people near Anchorage, Alaska. Hansen was born in Estherville, Iowa, to Christian and Edna Hansen. Hansen's father was a Danish immigrant baker and he worked in his father's bakery as a youth. It is theorized that Hansen began killing prostitutes around 1980. After paying women for her services, he would kidnap, torture, and rape them, further binding and flying them to his cabin in the Knik River Valley in his private airplane. Once there, he would release his victim on a river sandbar, stalk and then kill them with a hunting knife or carbine as they fled through the woods. Apprehended in 1983, Hansen was convicted in 1984 and sentenced to 461 years plus life, without chance of parole. He is currently imprisoned at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska. The Hansen case served as inspiration for the action thriller Naked Fear (2007).
Thor Nis Christiansen
Thor Nis Christiansen
Thor Nis Christiansen was a serial killer from Solvang, California. He committed his first three murders in late 1976 and early 1977, killing young women of similar appearance from Isla Vista, California...
was a serial killer from Solvang, California. He was born in Denmark and emigrated to Inglewood with his parents and on to Solvang when he was five years old. His father, Nis, ran a restaurant in Solvang. In sum, Thor Christiansen was obsessed with fantasies of shooting women and having sex with their corpses. Christiansen killed four women and his fifth victim escaped with serious wounds. After conviction, he was stabbed to death in Folsom State Prison in 1981.
Bjarne Skounborg, born Peter Kenneth Bostrøm Lundin, (more commonly known as Peter Lundin
Peter Lundin
Bjarne Skounborg , born Peter Kenneth Bostrøm Lundin, and more commonly known as Peter Lundin, is a Danish convicted serial killer.- Early life :...
), is a convicted murderer. He was born in Solrød Strand
Solrød Strand
Solrød Strand is a Danish town, seat of the Solrød Municipality, in the Region Sjælland. It is commonly known simply as Solrød. Its population 1 January 2011 was of 15,020 , including Jersie Strand, the southern part of the Solrød Strand urban area....
, Denmark in 1971 and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when he was seven years old. In April 1991, Lundin strangled his mother to death in Maggie Valley
Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Maggie Valley is a town in Haywood County, North Carolina, USA. The population was 607 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park.Maggie Valley is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and, with the help of his father, he buried her body on a Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
beach, where it was later found. In 1992, Lundin was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the murder and in 1999 Lundin was released from prison for capacity reasons and deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
back to Denmark. After his return to Denmark he was convicted for killing his girlfriend and her two sons and is currently serving life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
.
George Anderson
George Anderson (criminal)
George "Dutch" Anderson was a Danish criminal and, with American bandit Gerald Chapman, co-led an early Prohibition-era gang from 1919 until the mid-1920s.-Life and career:...
also known as George "Dutch" Anderson was an early Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
-era gang criminal in the mid-1920s. Anderson was born Ivan Dahl von Teler to a wealthy Danish family circa 1880 and emigrated to the United States around the turn of the century. His criminal infamy included burglary, armed robbery, boot-legging, prison escape, counterfeiting, and murder. Anderson died in a gunfight with police in 1925.
See also
- Danish American Chamber of Commerce (also listed in the list of external links, below)
External links
- Danish Immigrant Museum
- Danish American Heritage Society
- Danish American Archive and Library
- Danish Archive North East
- National Danish-American Genealogical Society
- Danish Emigration Archives
- Danish American Chamber of Commerce
- Danish Society of Massachusetts
- Rebild National Park Society
- Danes Worldwide
- Bien Newspaper
- Danish Pioneer Newspaper
- Danske Kulturministeriets Kulturkanon (Danish Cultural Canon)