Waldemar Ager
Encyclopedia
Waldemar Ager was a Norwegian-American newspaperman and author.
--just across the river Glomma
. Today, the street he lived on in Gressvik is named Waldemar Agers Vei in honor and in memory of Ager, who lived there some 130 years ago.
Like many Norwegians
in those days, Ager's father emigrated
to America
. Ager's father did not take his family, but instead he went to America, taking up residence in Chicago
, by himself. In 1885 at the age of 16, Ager went to join his father in Chicago.
Norwegian-American cultural and linguistic retention were at their height from the 1890s-1910s. Over a million Americans spoke Norwegian as their primary language in those three decades. It is estimated that over 3,000 Lutheran churches in the Upper Midwest used Norwegian as their sole language of worship. It is to the retention of this Norwegian-American culture that Waldemar Ager dedicated much of the rest of his life. He also championed many liberal
political causes including women's suffrage
, various farmer and labor movements, and prohibition.
Not long after his arrival in America, Ager and got his start in the newspaper business by becoming involved with Chicago's largest-circulation Norwegian-language
newspaper, called Norden. He never held any high position at that newspaper, but it got him his start in the newspaper business.
was very popular in the Norwegian-American community and Ager became one of the leaders of the movement. Ager personally helped form hundreds of total abstinence societies and Good Templar lodges across the Upper Midwest. Ager's prohibitionist beliefs and his fledgling newspaper career crossed paths for the first time when he became involved with a Norwegian temperance lodge in Chicago in the late 1880s. The lodge had a small-circulation monthly newspaper, and Ager began writing articles for it. Ager would remain an avholdsmann (a teetotaler) his entire life, before, during, and after the decade-long period of Prohibition in the United States.
, after being offered a job at a Norwegian temperance newspaper called Reform. Ager would be associated with Reform (both the newspaper and literal reform
), for the rest of his life. The editor of Reform died in 1903, and Ager took over the position. Eventually Ager would come to own the paper. Reform folded shortly after Ager's death in 1941.
In addition to his long newspaper career, Ager penned six novels and numerous collections of short stories. Although he never achieved the commercial success of his friend, Ole Edvart Rølvaag
, Ager's body of work is thought to be on many levels, comparable with and sometimes superior to that of Rølvaag. A humorist in the tradition of Mark Twain, Ager specialized in character sketches, and dramatizing the tragicomic plight of the Norwegian immigrant. Some of his more important works, translated into English, are Christ before Pilate, On The Way to The Melting Pot, Sons of The Old Country, and I Sit Alone.
Ager was also a popular orator, traveling the stump circuit for much of his career, speaking wherever Norwegian-Americans gathered. For Syttende Mai in 1916, Ager shared a platform with William Jennings Bryan
.The city of Eau Claire meant more to Ager than just a career. It was here that Ager met a beautiful young Norwegian immigrant girl from Tromsø
, Norway, named Gurolle Blestren. Ager and Blestren would go on to get married and raise nine children in a home that still stands to this day near Half Moon Lake in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Early life
Born in Frederikstad, Norway in 1869, Waldemar Ager grew up nearby in GressvikGressvik
Gressvik is a village located in the municipality of Fredrikstad, Norway.The river named Seut separates Gressvik from the city of Fredrikstad. Gressvik stretches from Ørebekk in the north, to Rød/Viker in the south....
--just across the river Glomma
Glomma
The Glomma or Glåma is the longest and largest river in Norway. The long river has a drainage basin that covers a full 13% of Norway's area, all in the southern part of Norway.-Geography:...
. Today, the street he lived on in Gressvik is named Waldemar Agers Vei in honor and in memory of Ager, who lived there some 130 years ago.
Like many Norwegians
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...
in those days, Ager's father emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Ager's father did not take his family, but instead he went to America, taking up residence in Chicago
Chicago
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...
, by himself. In 1885 at the age of 16, Ager went to join his father in Chicago.
Arrival in America
When Ager first arrived in America, he encountered a vibrant, thriving Norwegian-American community. Use of the Norwegian language was widespread. Hundreds of small-circulation Norwegian-language newspapers and dozens of large circulation Norwegian-language newspapers were in operation from Michigan to the Dakotas and everywhere in between, in other words wherever Norwegians were living. And the Norwegian-American community was constantly being reinforced by new immigrants from Norway, including Ager himself a new arrival in 1885.Norwegian-American cultural and linguistic retention were at their height from the 1890s-1910s. Over a million Americans spoke Norwegian as their primary language in those three decades. It is estimated that over 3,000 Lutheran churches in the Upper Midwest used Norwegian as their sole language of worship. It is to the retention of this Norwegian-American culture that Waldemar Ager dedicated much of the rest of his life. He also championed many liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
political causes including women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, various farmer and labor movements, and prohibition.
Not long after his arrival in America, Ager and got his start in the newspaper business by becoming involved with Chicago's largest-circulation Norwegian-language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
newspaper, called Norden. He never held any high position at that newspaper, but it got him his start in the newspaper business.
Prohibitionist
ProhibitionProhibition
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...
was very popular in the Norwegian-American community and Ager became one of the leaders of the movement. Ager personally helped form hundreds of total abstinence societies and Good Templar lodges across the Upper Midwest. Ager's prohibitionist beliefs and his fledgling newspaper career crossed paths for the first time when he became involved with a Norwegian temperance lodge in Chicago in the late 1880s. The lodge had a small-circulation monthly newspaper, and Ager began writing articles for it. Ager would remain an avholdsmann (a teetotaler) his entire life, before, during, and after the decade-long period of Prohibition in the United States.
Newspaper Editor and Writer
Ager's newspaper career began in earnest when, at the age of 23, he moved to Eau Claire, WisconsinEau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...
, after being offered a job at a Norwegian temperance newspaper called Reform. Ager would be associated with Reform (both the newspaper and literal reform
Reform movement
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...
), for the rest of his life. The editor of Reform died in 1903, and Ager took over the position. Eventually Ager would come to own the paper. Reform folded shortly after Ager's death in 1941.
In addition to his long newspaper career, Ager penned six novels and numerous collections of short stories. Although he never achieved the commercial success of his friend, Ole Edvart Rølvaag
Ole Edvart Rølvaag
Ole Edvart Rølvaag was an American novelist and professor who became well known for his writings regarding the Norwegian American immigrant experience...
, Ager's body of work is thought to be on many levels, comparable with and sometimes superior to that of Rølvaag. A humorist in the tradition of Mark Twain, Ager specialized in character sketches, and dramatizing the tragicomic plight of the Norwegian immigrant. Some of his more important works, translated into English, are Christ before Pilate, On The Way to The Melting Pot, Sons of The Old Country, and I Sit Alone.
Ager was also a popular orator, traveling the stump circuit for much of his career, speaking wherever Norwegian-Americans gathered. For Syttende Mai in 1916, Ager shared a platform with William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
.The city of Eau Claire meant more to Ager than just a career. It was here that Ager met a beautiful young Norwegian immigrant girl from Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, Norway, named Gurolle Blestren. Ager and Blestren would go on to get married and raise nine children in a home that still stands to this day near Half Moon Lake in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Selected bibliography
- Kristus for Pilatus. En Norsk-Amerikansk Fortælling (1910) (translation entitled “Christ before Pilate: An American Story”, published in 1924)
- Oberst Heg og hans Gutter (1916) (translation by Della Kittleson Catuna, Clarence A. Clausen entitled “Colonel Heg and His Boys”, published in 2000)
- Paa Veien til Smeltepotten (1917) (translation by Harry T. Cleven as “On the Way to the Melting Pot”, published in 1995)
- Gamlelandets Sønner (1926) (translation by Trygve Ager as “Sons of the Old Country”, published in 1983)
- Hundeøine (1929) translation by Charles Wharton Stork as “I Sit Alone”, published in 1931)
Other sources
- Haugen, EinarEinar HaugenEinar Ingvald Haugen was an American linguist, author and Professor at University of Wisconsin–Madison and Harvard University.-Biography:Haugen was born in Sioux City, Iowa to Norwegians from the town of Oppdal in Norway. When he was a young child, the family moved back to Oppdal for a few years,...
. Immigrant Idealist: A Literary Biography of Waldemar Ager, (Northfield, MN: Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1989) - Øverland, Orm The Western Home (Northfield, MN: Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1996. Chapter 22)