Jon Gjerde
Encyclopedia
Jon Gjerde was an American historian and the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of American History and American Citizenship at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he also served as dean of the Division of Social Sciences in the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
, and grew up in Cedar Falls, Iowa
, the youngest of three children in a family of Norwegian immigrants. His father, Waldemar Gjerde, was a professor of education at the University of Northern Iowa
, but died when Jon Gjerde was young; his mother was a schoolteacher. Gjerde himself attended the University of Northern Iowa, and graduated in 1975 with a triple major in history, philosophy, and religion. He went on to graduate studies in history at the University of Minnesota
, earning a masters degree in 1978 and a Ph.D. in 1982.
After teaching at the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin and the California Institute of Technology
, Gjerde joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1985. He was tenured in 1989. Gjerde served as resident director of the Scandinavian Study Center in Lund, Sweden from 1991 to 1992. He served as chair of the history department at UC Berkeley from 2001 to 2004, was named interim dean of social sciences in 2006 and was confirmed as dean in 2007. Like his father, he died in his 50s of a heart attack; he died in Albany, California
. The Jon and Ruth Gjerde Graduate Student Endowment was established to benefit the UC Berkeley History Department.
Gjerde's research concerned European immigration
to the Midwestern United States
and European immigrants in the midwest. Among other accolades, Gjerde won three Theodore Saloutos Memorial Book awards for his writings on immigration and agricultural history. He was most commonly associated with his two prizewinning books, From Peasants to Farmers: The Migration from Belestrand, Norway, to the Upper Middle West (1989) and The Minds of the West: Ethnocultural Revolution in the Rural Middle West, 1830–1917 (1997)
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he also served as dean of the Division of Social Sciences in the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
Biography
Gjerde was born in Waterloo, IowaWaterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
, and grew up in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, and it is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa. The population was 39,260 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 36,145 population in the 2000 census...
, the youngest of three children in a family of Norwegian immigrants. His father, Waldemar Gjerde, was a professor of education at the University of Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
, but died when Jon Gjerde was young; his mother was a schoolteacher. Gjerde himself attended the University of Northern Iowa, and graduated in 1975 with a triple major in history, philosophy, and religion. He went on to graduate studies in history at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, earning a masters degree in 1978 and a Ph.D. in 1982.
After teaching at the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin and the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, Gjerde joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1985. He was tenured in 1989. Gjerde served as resident director of the Scandinavian Study Center in Lund, Sweden from 1991 to 1992. He served as chair of the history department at UC Berkeley from 2001 to 2004, was named interim dean of social sciences in 2006 and was confirmed as dean in 2007. Like his father, he died in his 50s of a heart attack; he died in Albany, California
Albany, California
Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 18,539 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their community...
. The Jon and Ruth Gjerde Graduate Student Endowment was established to benefit the UC Berkeley History Department.
Gjerde's research concerned European immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
to 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....
and European immigrants in the midwest. Among other accolades, Gjerde won three Theodore Saloutos Memorial Book awards for his writings on immigration and agricultural history. He was most commonly associated with his two prizewinning books, From Peasants to Farmers: The Migration from Belestrand, Norway, to the Upper Middle West (1989) and The Minds of the West: Ethnocultural Revolution in the Rural Middle West, 1830–1917 (1997)