Kenneth H. Dahlberg
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Harry Dahlberg was an American
businessman and highly decorated World War II
fighter ace
.
, Minnesota
, Dahlberg grew up on a farm near the village of Wilson, Wisconsin
, in St. Croix County, Wisconsin
, and attended classes in a one-room schoolhouse for 11 years. During his senior year he moved back to Saint Paul to live with an aunt, in order to graduate from an accredited high school (Harding High School
). After graduation in 1935, he worked in the hotel business, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to food and beverage manager for a hotel chain.
in 1941 and originally desired to become a cook. He eventually became an aviation cadet in the United States Army Air Forces
(USAAF), where one of his instructors was future Senator
Barry Goldwater
. After training, Dahlberg flew the P-47 Thunderbolt
and P-51 Mustang
with the USAAF 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group Ninth Air Force
in Europe
. As a fighter ace, Dahlberg was credited with 14½ aerial victories. He received numerous awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross
for leading a flight of 16 P-47 Thunderbolts (354th) against an attack of 70 German Messerschmitt Bf 109
fighters on December 19, 1944. Dahlberg shot down four enemy planes that day. Dahlberg was shot down three times, the last on February 14, 1945 near Bitburg
, and became a Prisoner of War
for the final three months of the war. Martin Dardis was one of five GIs who rescued Dahlberg as a POW
after the Battle of the Bulge
. It wasn't until 1991 that Dardis and the other four GIs were honored with Silver Star
s for their heroism in rescuing Dahlberg.
Continuing his military service after the war, Dahlberg served with the Minnesota Air National Guard
until 1951.
, a company that made hearing aids. In 1948, Dahlberg founded Dahlberg Electronics, a subsidiary of which is the Miracle-Ear
hearing aids manufacturer. His company is credited with the first use of the newly invented transistor
in a consumer product.By 1959, Miracle-Ear had evolved into a subsidiary of Dahlberg, Inc. with USD 100 million in annual revenues. A national advertising campaign that Dahlberg, Inc ran from 1988 until mid-1993 was subject to charges of false advertising by the Federal Trade Commission
, which were settled in 1995 when the company agreed to pay a $2.75 million civil penalty. In the summer of 1993 Dahlberg sold his company to Bausch & Lomb
for $139 million.
In 1995, Dahlberg started the venture capital firm Carefree Capital, whose investments include the Buffalo Wild Wings
restaurant chain. As of 2010, Dahlberg lived in Carefree, Arizona
and still piloted a Cessna Citation
jet.
and Carl Bernstein
, chronicled in All the President's Men
, Bernstein traveled to Miami
to see Martin Dardis, the head investigator for Dade County
District Attorney
Richard E. Gerstein. Since most of the Watergate burglars were from Miami, the district attorney's office had launched an investigation. Dardis showed Bernstein a photostatic copy of a cashier's check for $25,000 that had been deposited into the bank account of a real estate firm owned by Bernard Barker
, one of the Watergate burglars. The check was drawn on a Boca Raton, Florida
, bank and was made out to Kenneth H. Dahlberg. Bernstein telephoned this information to Woodward who was back at the Post in Washington, D.C.
Woodward located Dahlberg's telephone number from information and called him at home. At first, Dahlberg did not believe Woodward was actually a reporter. He later called Woodward back and explained that his neighbor, Virginia Piper, had been recently kidnapped and it was an upsetting experience. Dahlberg told Woodward he had the check made out to himself while he was in Florida on business and did not want to carry that much cash around. Dahlberg could not explain how the check got into Barker's bank account but said it was either given to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President or to Maurice Stans
.
Dahlberg was the midwest finance chairman for the Committee to Re-elect the President during President
Richard M. Nixon's 1972 campaign
. In 1968, Dahlberg was the finance chairman for Clark MacGregor
's unsuccessful Senate
campaign in Minnesota. MacGregor was later appointed the head of the Committee to Re-elect the President in 1972 after former attorney general John Mitchell
had resigned. It was later learned the $25,000 came from Dwayne Andreas
, chief executive officer of Archer Daniels Midland
, as an anonymous donation to the Nixon campaign.Woodward later commented that finding Dahlberg's check was a turning point in their Watergate investigation because it led to the discovery of how the Watergate burglars were financed through a money-laundering scheme.
Kenneth H. Dahlberg was never charged with any wrongdoing as a result of the Watergate scandal.
that he had earned the Distinguished Service Cross
in 1945, but he had never collected it because he was in a prisoner of war camp. In addition Dahlberg also earned two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
with cluster, the Bronze Star, and 15 air medals.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon appointed Dahlberg to the board of visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy
. He also served as a trustee to Hamline University
.
In the 90s, Kenneth Dahlberg was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame at the Norsk Høstfest
in Minot, North Dakota
. Kenneth Dahlberg was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame
in 1997.
In July 2007, he was featured in the aviation series Dogfights
on The History Channel
, in the final segment of the episode on the P-47 Thunderbolt
. And, in 2009, Dahlberg was inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
. He died October 4, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and highly decorated World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter ace
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
.
Early life
Born in Saint PaulSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, 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...
, Dahlberg grew up on a farm near the village of Wilson, Wisconsin
Wilson, St. Croix County, Wisconsin
Wilson is a village in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 176 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wilson is located at ....
, in St. Croix County, Wisconsin
St. Croix County, Wisconsin
St. Croix County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2010, the population was 84,345. Its county seat is Hudson. St. Croix County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area . It is the fastest growing county in Wisconsin.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, and attended classes in a one-room schoolhouse for 11 years. During his senior year he moved back to Saint Paul to live with an aunt, in order to graduate from an accredited high school (Harding High School
Harding Senior High School (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Harding Senior High School is a public comprehensive high school located on the East Side of Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school is one of six high schools in the Saint Paul Public School District and is the largest high school in the city of Saint Paul with enrollment at approximately 2400...
). After graduation in 1935, he worked in the hotel business, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to food and beverage manager for a hotel chain.
World War II
He was drafted into the armyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1941 and originally desired to become a cook. He eventually became an aviation cadet in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
(USAAF), where one of his instructors was future Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
. After training, Dahlberg flew the P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
and P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
with the USAAF 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
in 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...
. As a fighter ace, Dahlberg was credited with 14½ aerial victories. He received numerous awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
for leading a flight of 16 P-47 Thunderbolts (354th) against an attack of 70 German Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
fighters on December 19, 1944. Dahlberg shot down four enemy planes that day. Dahlberg was shot down three times, the last on February 14, 1945 near Bitburg
Bitburg
Bitburg It is situated approx. 25 km north-west of Trier, and 50 km north-east of Luxembourg . One American airbase, Spangdahlem Air Base, is located nearby.-History:...
, and became a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
for the final three months of the war. Martin Dardis was one of five GIs who rescued Dahlberg as a POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
after the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. It wasn't until 1991 that Dardis and the other four GIs were honored with Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
s for their heroism in rescuing Dahlberg.
Continuing his military service after the war, Dahlberg served with the Minnesota Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
until 1951.
Business career
Fully expecting to return to the hotel business after the war, Dahlberg wound up working for TelexTelex Communications
Telex Communications, originally Telex Corporation, was a Burnsville, Minnesota-based manufacturer of hearing aids and audio equipment. Founded in 1936 as a maker of hearing aids, it entered the computer peripherals businesses in the 1960s. It became Telex Communications, a subsidiary of Telex Corp...
, a company that made hearing aids. In 1948, Dahlberg founded Dahlberg Electronics, a subsidiary of which is the Miracle-Ear
Miracle-Ear
Miracle-Ear, Inc. is a network of retail outlets that distribute hearing aids manufactured by M-E Manufacturing and Services Inc. , a subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solutions. Miracle-Ear is a subsidiary of Amplifon S.p...
hearing aids manufacturer. His company is credited with the first use of the newly invented transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
in a consumer product.By 1959, Miracle-Ear had evolved into a subsidiary of Dahlberg, Inc. with USD 100 million in annual revenues. A national advertising campaign that Dahlberg, Inc ran from 1988 until mid-1993 was subject to charges of false advertising by the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
, which were settled in 1995 when the company agreed to pay a $2.75 million civil penalty. In the summer of 1993 Dahlberg sold his company to Bausch & Lomb
Bausch & Lomb
Bausch & Lomb, an American company based in Rochester, New York, is one of the world's leading suppliers of eye health products, such as contact lenses and lens care products today. In addition to this main activity, in recent years the area of medical technology has been developed...
for $139 million.
In 1995, Dahlberg started the venture capital firm Carefree Capital, whose investments include the Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar is a casual dining restaurant and sports bar franchise in the United States that is known for its Buffalo wings.-History:...
restaurant chain. As of 2010, Dahlberg lived in Carefree, Arizona
Carefree, Arizona
Carefree is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 3,799.-History:...
and still piloted a Cessna Citation
Cessna Citation
The Cessna Citation is a marketing name used by Cessna for its line of business jets. Rather than one particular model of aircraft, the name applies to several "families" of turbofan-powered aircraft that have been produced over the years...
jet.
Watergate
During the Watergate investigation by Washington Post reporters Bob WoodwardBob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
, chronicled in All the President's Men
All the President's Men
All the President's Men is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists investigating the first Watergate break-in and ensuing scandal for The Washington Post. The book chronicles the investigative reporting of Woodward and Bernstein from Woodward's initial...
, Bernstein traveled to Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
to see Martin Dardis, the head investigator for Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Richard E. Gerstein. Since most of the Watergate burglars were from Miami, the district attorney's office had launched an investigation. Dardis showed Bernstein a photostatic copy of a cashier's check for $25,000 that had been deposited into the bank account of a real estate firm owned by Bernard Barker
Bernard Barker
Bernard Leon Barker , known as "Macho" or by his mother's maiden name, "Terry", was a Watergate burglar, and burglar of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office....
, one of the Watergate burglars. The check was drawn on a Boca Raton, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, bank and was made out to Kenneth H. Dahlberg. Bernstein telephoned this information to Woodward who was back at the Post in 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....
Woodward located Dahlberg's telephone number from information and called him at home. At first, Dahlberg did not believe Woodward was actually a reporter. He later called Woodward back and explained that his neighbor, Virginia Piper, had been recently kidnapped and it was an upsetting experience. Dahlberg told Woodward he had the check made out to himself while he was in Florida on business and did not want to carry that much cash around. Dahlberg could not explain how the check got into Barker's bank account but said it was either given to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President or to Maurice Stans
Maurice Stans
Maurice Hubert Stans was an American accountant, high-ranking civil servant, Cabinet member, and political organizer...
.
Dahlberg was the midwest finance chairman for the Committee to Re-elect the President during President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard M. Nixon's 1972 campaign
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
. In 1968, Dahlberg was the finance chairman for Clark MacGregor
Clark MacGregor
Clark MacGregor was a Republican U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District.MacGregor was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in the class of 1944 and the University of Minnesota Law School in 1946 . He was elected to the U.S...
's unsuccessful Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
campaign in Minnesota. MacGregor was later appointed the head of the Committee to Re-elect the President in 1972 after former attorney general John Mitchell
John N. Mitchell
John Newton Mitchell was the Attorney General of the United States from 1969 to 1972 under President Richard Nixon...
had resigned. It was later learned the $25,000 came from Dwayne Andreas
Dwayne Andreas
Dwayne Orville Andreas is one of the most prominent political campaign donors in the United States, having contributed millions of dollars to Democratic and Republican candidates alike...
, chief executive officer of Archer Daniels Midland
Archer Daniels Midland
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is a conglomerate headquartered in Decatur, Illinois. ADM operates more than 270 plants worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed markets worldwide.ADM was named the...
, as an anonymous donation to the Nixon campaign.Woodward later commented that finding Dahlberg's check was a turning point in their Watergate investigation because it led to the discovery of how the Watergate burglars were financed through a money-laundering scheme.
Kenneth H. Dahlberg was never charged with any wrongdoing as a result of the Watergate scandal.
Honors
In 1967, Dahlberg was notified by the Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
that he had earned the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
in 1945, but he had never collected it because he was in a prisoner of war camp. In addition Dahlberg also earned two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
with cluster, the Bronze Star, and 15 air medals.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon appointed Dahlberg to the board of visitors of the U.S. Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
. He also served as a trustee to Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
.
In the 90s, Kenneth Dahlberg was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame at the Norsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest is an annual festival held each Fall in Minot, North Dakota. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival. The event is conducted in the All Seasons Arena on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair in Minot, North Dakota...
in Minot, North Dakota
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
. Kenneth Dahlberg was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame
Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame
The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, recognized by the State of Minnesota as a means of honoring aviation pioneers....
in 1997.
In July 2007, he was featured in the aviation series Dogfights
Dogfights (TV series)
Dogfights is a military aviation themed TV series depicting historical re-enactments of air-to-air combat that took place in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as smaller conflicts such as the Gulf War and the Six-Day War...
on The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
, in the final segment of the episode on the P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
. And, in 2009, Dahlberg was inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame is located in the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona which recognises Arizona's "Excellence in Aviation". The Aviation Hall of Fame exhibit is located in the honored Dorothy Finley Space Gallery on the Museum grounds...
. He died October 4, 2011.
External links
- Minnesota American Legion - article on Ken Dahlberg
- Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame - Kenneth H. Dahlberg