Ingrid Semmingsen
Encyclopedia
Ingrid Elisabeth Semmingsen (29 March 1910, Hamar
, Hedmark
– 31 May 1995) was a Norwegian
historian
. Appointed as a professor
at the University of Oslo
in 1963, she was the first female professor of history in Norway.
, as the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel and farmer Peter Thorvald Gaustad (1878–1949) and his wife Gudvor, née Todderud (1884–1956). She grew up at a farm in Stange
. In 1939 she married Rolf Ingvar Semmingsen
, a bureaucrat who served as director of the Norwegian Price Directorate.
, who came from a such social background. Her grandfather and great-grandfather had both been involved in the Marcus Thrane movement. Ingrid was a member of the radical group Mot Dag
for a short period.
She later concentrated on American history and the Norwegian immigration to the United States
. Her first publication was the 1938 article Utvandringen til Amerika 1866–1873, which was printed in the journal Historisk Tidsskrift. She published En verdensmakt blir til. De forente staters historie in 1946, with a second edition in 1972, as well as the work Veien mot vest in two volumes in 1941 and 1950. The second volume earned her the dr.philos. degree in 1951, becoming the first female history doctor
in Norway. She was appointed professor in American history at the University of Oslo
in 1963, as the first female professor of history in Norway.
Semmingsen's appointment in American history was replaced with an appointment in general history in 1968. She again concentrated on Norwegian nineteenth-century social history
in addition to emigration history. She published Standssamfunnets oppløsning i Norge in 1954, and Husmannsminner (1960) was the result of a project at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. In the field of emigration history she published Amerikabrev (1958) and Drøm og dåd. Utvandringen til Amerika (1975). She retired in 1978, but long after this she has been considered an authority on the Norwegian immigration to the United States, together with Odd Lovoll. Lovoll has cited Semmingsen as his primary inspiration, and called her body of work a "national treasure".
Semmingsen was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
from 1952, and held honorary degree
s at the Uppsala University
and the St. Olaf College
. She was also a deputy member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
. Her last article was printed in 1988, and she died in 1995 in Oslo
.
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
, Hedmark
Hedmark
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...
– 31 May 1995) was a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
. Appointed as a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
in 1963, she was the first female professor of history in Norway.
Personal life
Semmingsen was born in HamarHamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
, as the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel and farmer Peter Thorvald Gaustad (1878–1949) and his wife Gudvor, née Todderud (1884–1956). She grew up at a farm in Stange
Stange
is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stangebyen.-Name:...
. In 1939 she married Rolf Ingvar Semmingsen
Rolf Ingvar Semmingsen
Rolf Ingvar Semmingsen was a Norwegian civil servant.He was born in Stor-Elvdal. Having graduated as cand.jur., he was hired as assistant secretary in the Norwegian Price Directorate in 1940. In 1946 he was promoted to assistant director under Wilhelm Thagaard...
, a bureaucrat who served as director of the Norwegian Price Directorate.
Career
Semmingsen took the cand.philol. degree in 1935 with a paper on the lower class in her native Hedmark from 1850 to 1900. She appeared in radio programs with popular singer Alf PrøysenAlf Prøysen
Alf Prøysen , was a writer and musician from Norway. He was born at Rudshøgda in Ringsaker. Prøysen was one of the most important Norwegian cultural personalities in the second half of the twentieth century, and he made significant contributions to literature, music, TV and radio.His childhood was...
, who came from a such social background. Her grandfather and great-grandfather had both been involved in the Marcus Thrane movement. Ingrid was a member of the radical group Mot Dag
Mot Dag
Mot Dag was a Norwegian periodical and a communist organization with the same name.It was established in 1921 under the initiative of Erling Falk, partly with origins in the debate forum in the Social Democratic student government in Oslo ; partly from a Falk-led study circle which from 1919...
for a short period.
She later concentrated on American history and the Norwegian immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...
. Her first publication was the 1938 article Utvandringen til Amerika 1866–1873, which was printed in the journal Historisk Tidsskrift. She published En verdensmakt blir til. De forente staters historie in 1946, with a second edition in 1972, as well as the work Veien mot vest in two volumes in 1941 and 1950. The second volume earned her the dr.philos. degree in 1951, becoming the first female history doctor
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Norway. She was appointed professor in American history at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
in 1963, as the first female professor of history in Norway.
Semmingsen's appointment in American history was replaced with an appointment in general history in 1968. She again concentrated on Norwegian nineteenth-century social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
in addition to emigration history. She published Standssamfunnets oppløsning i Norge in 1954, and Husmannsminner (1960) was the result of a project at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. In the field of emigration history she published Amerikabrev (1958) and Drøm og dåd. Utvandringen til Amerika (1975). She retired in 1978, but long after this she has been considered an authority on the Norwegian immigration to the United States, together with Odd Lovoll. Lovoll has cited Semmingsen as his primary inspiration, and called her body of work a "national treasure".
Semmingsen was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
from 1952, and held honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s at the Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
and the St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
. She was also a deputy member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
Norwegian Nobel Committee
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize each year.Its five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and roughly represent the political makeup of that body.-History:...
. Her last article was printed in 1988, and she died in 1995 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
Selected works
- Veien mot vest (2 volumes) (1941 and 1950)
- En verdensmakt blir til. De forente staters historie (1946)
- Standssamfunnets oppløsning i Norge (1954)
- Amerikabrev (1958)
- Husmannsminner (1960)
- Drøm og dåd. Utvandringen til Amerika (1975)