George W. Johnson, born December 22, 1894, was a Minnesota state legislator from 1925-1937, serving as Speaker of the House for the last two years. He was elected mayor on April 3, 1945, and he served for two terms. During his time in office he worked to promote Duluth tourism and implement a social security program for the state. After his tenure, Johnson worked as a home appraiser until his death on January 20, 1974. He was survived by his wife Grace.
Edward Hatch, a native of Truro, Devonshire, England, came to the United States 1887 at the age of five. He worked with several mining companies in Eveleth, Minnesota before becoming postmaster there from 1911-1914. In 1917 he was elected mayor of Eveleth, and after his term there he relocated to Duluth. In 1941 he became Duluth's mayor, concentrating on job growth. He and his wife Ella had no children, and he died on September 2, 1961 in Duluth.
Captain Ray T. Lewis, born in 1940 in Brunswick, Maine, was a man of the sea. He sailed around the world several times before eventually moving to Duluth in 1886, where he became a successful real estate businessman. In 1894 he was elected mayor, and he is reported to have been a very strict mayor. After his tenure as mayor, Lewis served in the state legislature twice. On a trip to his hometown he was involved in a carriage accident, and he died of his injuries on July 21, 1912.
Born on Oct. 20, 1844 in Schleswig, a Danish territory, Henry Truelsen worked in a variety of trades before entering political life. As president of the Duluth Board of Public Works, he led a battle for public ownership of the city's water supply at a reasonable price. This role contributed to his populist candidacy for Duluth mayor and was referenced in a plaque affixed to the portrait's frame which read "Henry Truelsen, mayor of Duluth, 1896-1900. Through whose untiring efforts Duluth obtained its water and gas plant. Presented to the city by Thomas A. Merritt. The portrait was painted by David Ericson (1869-1946), a renowned portrait and landscape artist who lived in Duluth. In 1910 Ericson was commissioned to travel to Zenith, North Dakota, Truelsen's new home, to paint the mayoral portrait. Truelsen died on Dec. 4, 1931, in Los Angeles, California.
This painting by W. Gillette depicts the First Pera family home that was built in 1900 but destroyed by the 1918 Forest Fire. Also in the frame is the Pera family's home built after the 1918 Forest Fire. W. Gillette was a relative through marriage to John Pera's wife, Mabel Kaanta.
Carl Rudolf Berghult was the first native-born Duluth mayor. Born on April 15, 1905 and elected in 1937, he was also the nation's youngest mayor of a city of over 100,000 people. As mayor, he secured government funding for the Blatnik Bridge and worked to beautify the city's public land. He also revised the city's debt structure and began several health and work programs for his citizens. After his tenure as mayor ended in 1941, Berghult joined the navy and earned recognition for his service at Normandy Beach and in Norway. He had two children with his wife Eva before his death on February 6, 2000.
Clarence Magney is better known as a judge than a mayor. Born January 11, 1883 in Wisconsin, he was a successful lawyer until his election as Duluth mayor in 1917. During his stint as mayor, Magney worked to preserve and increase Duluth's parkland and parkways. He resigned from this office on September 15, 1920 in order to take a post as judge of the District Court, where he served for 23 years. He then served as associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1943-1953. He died on May 15, 1962, leaving behind his wife Lillian and their three children.
Roland D. Haven was born the son of a carpenter on October 17, 1866 in Sudbury, Vermont. In 1883 he moved to Minnesota and worked as a carpenter in Northfield, St. Paul, and Minneapolis before reolcating to Duluth in 1889 and becoming a factory foreman. From 1894 to 1908 he worked with several companies in the manufacturing, tug, real estate, and farm implement businesses. He served two terms as alderman (and council president) beginning in 1902, and in 1908 was elected mayor. He served two fairly unremarkable terms, and shortly after leaving office he moved with his wife Belle to Silver City, New Mexico, where he died on April 21, 1930.
Born in Camden, Ohio on October 11, 1867, William I. Prince was a very successful banker in Bessemer, Michigan. He was later elected mayor of Bessemer for three terms, after which he relocated to Duluth, Minnesota in 1902 to organize the City National Bank. In 1913 Prince became Duluth's first mayor under the "commissioner" model, which Prince helped to establish. His single term as mayor was unremarkable, after which he was heavily involved in the Duluth Chamber of Commerce. He died on November 11, 1941, leaving behind his wife Mary and two sons.
Trevanion W. Hugo was born in Boddinoc, Cornwall, England on July 29, 1848 but spent most of his youth in Kinston, Ontario. In 1881 he and his family moved to Duluth, and he soon became an alderman and president of the city council for eight years. In 1900 he was elected mayor by just five votes, and he held the office for four years. He was appointed mayor once again to finish Clarence Magney's term in 1920 but declined to run again in 1921. Outside of City Hall, he was a prominent member of the Masons, rising to the rank of grand chancellor of the supreme council of Scottish Rite Masonry. He died on February 27, 1923 of complications from influenza and was survived by two sons.
George D. Johnson was born on February 18, 1917 in Duluth. After attending several area colleges and universities, Johnson worked in the American Steel and Wire division of U.S. Steel. He served his first term as mayor from 1953-1956 under the "commissioner" model of government. When Mayor E. Clifford Mork died in office in 1962, Johnson was appointed to take his place and won the subsequent election in 1963 under the "strong mayor" government model. After his terms he rose to prominence in the United Steelworks of America, the Minnesota Mayors Association, the League of Minnesota Municipalities, and the City Charter Commission. He died in 1999, leaving behind his wife Eleanor and two children.
This watercolor drawing depicts "Eagle Water," a strong Chippewa man with an eagle crown. In the background another eagle soars above the shoreline with a fish clutched in its claws. This is one print in a series created for the Freshwater Society in Excelsior, Minnesota, donated to the Westonka Historical Society, one of a limited edition created in 1981-1985.
This watercolor drawing depicts "Bear Woman," a strong Chippewa woman with a bear crown. In the background another bear wades toward the reeds and the shoreline. This is one print in a series created for the Freshwater Society in Excelsior, Minnesota, donated to the Westonka Historical Society; one of a limited edition created in 1981-1985.
Mural painting, "White Bear Captures the Warrior Princess." One of a series of paintings by Gustav Krollmann which illustrate Alice Thorson's novel, "The Tribe of Pezhekee." Photograph by Paul Barsness.
Local artist and resident Edgar F. Olson painted the Apostolic Lutheran Church and its cemetery in 1943, using oils. On the back of the painting was the following etching: "My apprecication to you, Rev. Michaelson, for making my mother's last moments happier. Edgar F. Olson, 1937. Old Finnish Cemetery and New Church, Carlton Co., Minn."
This 1950 oil painting is a self-portrait of Esko resident and artist Edgar F. Olson himself. Born July 25, 1896, in Esko, he did a number of artworks, mostly oil paintings, for the community and its members, before his death on August 18, 1974.
Emil Clifford Mork, who usually only used his first initial, was born in Duluth on August 22, 1905. He and his wife operated Mork Food Supply, a business started by Mork's father. Mork was also involved in the Minnesota Food Retailers Association and several other food associations before his election on April 7, 1959. He planned to run for reelection, but he unfortunately (and mysteriously) died in office on August 14, 1962.
Eugene Lambert was the first mayor under a new system eschewing the "commissioner" model. He was born in Duluth on November 5, 1915. He served in the military until 1946 and worked in labor relations until his election in 1956. As mayor, Lambert emphasized long-range planning and improved communication with state and federal agencies. After his term, Lambert worked in many fields, including publishing the Duluth Herald and News Tribune until his death in 1994.
This oil painting by John Ruikka (April 16, 1880, to May, 1965) depicts the original Palkki gristmill, which was built on the Midway River and located on property of pioneer Erick Palkki. It was used from 1878 to approximately 1916, was built by pioneers to grind grain into flour, and was water powered. Please note that the original spelling, in Finnish, is "Palkki." The spelling as "Palkie" is an Americanized spelling of the name.
Born on June 2, 1851 in Angelica, New York and well-educated in law, Charles E. d'Autremont, Jr. moved to Duluth on a whim in 1882 with his family. He soon began to make a name for himself, becoming county attorney in 1884 and running for state Attorney General in 1888. In 1892 d'Autremont was elected mayor and served two efficient but unremarkable terms. After his tenure he was heavily and successfully involved in mining throughout western North America. He died in Angelica, New York on July 25, 1919.