Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Biographical Note On William Tell, Heinrich Pantaleon, Richard Hacken

Swiss American Historical Society Review

William Tell was born and raised in Uri, Switzerland. Due to his remarkable intellectual and physical capabilities, he quickly gained great respect among the local people. At the same time, Emperor Henry VII of Luxembourg5 ruled the Holy Roman Empire with great success (1308-1313). He reaffirmed the privileges previously granted to the inner “Orte”6 of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, and even enhanced them with various additional immunities, bestowed upon them in Constance due to their commendable conduct. This occurred in the year 1309.7 Furthermore, he granted them the concession of not having to obey any prince except the emperor and …

The Global Dane: Writing Soren Kierkegaard's Biography*, Joakim Garff

The Bridge

When Professor C.K.F. Molbech was asked the year after Kierkegaard's death to sketch a biographical portrait for a planned German translation of Either/Or, he went to his friend, the philosopher Hans Brochner, for advice and suggestions. Brochner, who knew the deceased personally, pondered it and then replied: When one restricts oneself to external events, there is of course very little to say about his life at all: he was born May 5, 1813, he was a student at the University in 1830, took his degree in theology in 1840, he submitted his doctoral thesis in 1841, and he died in …

Book Review: Überfahrten. Das Leben Der Margaretha Reibold (1809-1893) In Briefen. Zürich, Leo Schelbert

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The publication of Margaretha Mezger Reibold is a most welcome addition to the growing body of primary sources that highlight the migratory experiences of women. In a letter dated March 31, 1877, the historian, editor, and diplomat Heinrich Gelzer (1813-1889) of Basel had asked "his beloved friend,,: "Write for me a survey of the course of your life, inner and outer experiences, in the framework of six to seven letters,,(23). He labeled his proposal as "a Sunday task that I will enjoy and that will be beneficial to you,, (23 ). He even suggested the main chapter titles: " 1 …

Meeting Fred Anderegg, Leo Schelbert

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

It all started in June 1987. Michigan Today had arrived in the mail, a University of Michigan newspaper that carried some pictures of wonderful Byzantine mosaics. They had been photographed in the monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai, a community that had survived some fifteen hundred years and harbors numerous treasures brought there to be hidden from the ravages of turbulent times.

Fred Anderegg: Of Course He's On Edge, He's A Second-Story Man, Suzanne Ramljak

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Fred Anderegg's conversation is full of colorful anecdotes, which is to be expected from a gregarious archeological photographer whose job has been to take the ideal picture, in less than ideal circumstances, all over the globe.

Hijalmar Petersen Of Minnesota: The Politics Of Provincial Independence, Gerald Rasmussen

The Bridge

It is not often that we have the pleasure of reviewing the biography of a politically prominent Danish-American; in this case Hjalmar Petersen of Minnesota. To our knowledge Petersen was the only Danish-born governer of any of the United States -- Minnesota. The fact alone creates some interest in Petersen among Americans of Danish descent and to the Danish American Heritage Society. But by and of itself that does not warrant a biography -- or a book review. But, make no mistake, the author, Steven Keillor has demonstrated convincingly that his biography of Hjalmar Petersen is warranted and a worthy …

The Jens Nyholm Papers, William K. Beatty

The Bridge

The Chicago area has benefited from the careers of two Danes who had the same first name but completely different occupations: the one indoors and the other out. Both men were alike in having achieved national reputations in their chosen fields. Jens Nyholm served for 24 years as a university librarian; Jens Jensen devoted many years to working with nature in the designing of private and public landscapes in the Midwest. Northwestern University has enjoyed, and still enjoys, the fruits of the labors of both these men for it was at this institution that Nyholm devoted over two decades of …

A. P. Andersen - Saga Of A Danish Immigrant, Henry Jorgensen

The Bridge

Pastor Ove Nielsen, retired assistant director of Lutheran World Relief, provided the initiative for this biography when he wrote to the author and suggested that research be done and a biography be written for The Bridge on Anders Peder Andersen. Andersen, a Danish immigrant and farmer in Montana, was knighted by the King of his native land at which time attention was called to his many accomplishments.

The Jens Nyholm Papers, William K. Beatty

The Bridge

The Chicago area has benefited from the careers of two Danes who had the same first name but completely different occupations: the one indoors and the other out . Both men were alike in having achieved national reputations in their chosen fields. Jens Nyholm served for 24 years as a university librarian; Jens Jensen devoted many years to working with nature in the designing of private and public landscapes in the Midwest. Northwestern University has enjoyed, and still enjoys, the fruits of the labors of both these men for it was at this institution that Nyholm devoted over two decades …

Fritz Marti - The Course Of A Busy Life

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Born January 1, 1894, Winterthur, Canton Zurich, Switzerland

Public Elementary School Winterthur, 1900-1906

Municipal Gymnasium Bern, 1906-1913, graduated with maximal honors

Othmar Hermann Ammann, 1879-1965. His Way To Great Bridges, Urs C. Widmer, Heinz K. Meier

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

In 1904, O. H. Ammann, aged 25, freshly graduated civil engineer of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, went to the United States encouraged by his former teacher in hydraulics, Professor Karl Emil Hilgard, who had himself worked as bridge engineer on the Northern Pacific Railway. More than anything else the young engineer wanted to widen his horizon and to gain some experience to follow-up his sound professional training, which he owed in part to Professor Wilhelm Ritter and to three years in the field in Switzerland and Germany. To his surprise he was immediately employed by Joseph …

Memories Of My Father, Margot Ammann Durrer

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Father's childhood was spent in Feuerthalen, a small town in Canton Zurich, Switzerland. The beautiful city of Schaffhausen lies on the right bank of the Rhine and the town of Feuerthalen on the left, just above the magnificient Rhine Falls. The sharp turn of the Rhine makes a partial island of this district, so bridges form an important part of communication for the inhabitants.

The Passing Of Two Noted Swiss Americans

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Dr. med. Karl Friedrich Meyer (1884-1974)

Karl Friedrich Meyer was born in Basel on May 19, 1884, as the son of Theodore Meyer zum Pfeil and Sophie Meyer-Lichtenhahn. After grammar school he attended the Humanistische Gymnasium of Basel and started in 1902 his graduate work in biology. Later he transferred to the University of Zurich where he studied comparative pathology and physiology and began to immerse himself in his favored field of specialization, veterinary medicine.

Carl Bodmer: A Biographical Sketch, Hans Läng

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Almost every illustrated work on North American Indians has pictures by Carl Bodmer, the gifted Swiss painter. Experts as well as interested laymen are impressed by his excellent portrayals of various types of Indians and their world. When we look for the artist's signature, however, we often find nothing but "after Wied" under the picture or else the name of an engraver. Thieme-Becker, Benezit, Nagel, and any number of other editors of the various encyclopedias of artists, refer to Carl Brun (Schwizerisches Kunstler-Lexikon, Frauenfeld 1905), whenever they mention Bodmer. And here, too, we find precious little information about the painter.

Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, E. H. Bovay

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

In August, 1923, the then Governor of the Gold Coast (Ghana), Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, paid a visit to Switzerland. Although proud to welcome such a high dignitary, especially one with such a Bernese sounding name, the Swiss authorities were somewhat embarassed when the Governor asked to be taken to the birthplace of his ancestors. Nobody knew for certain, since the Bernese municipalities of Belp, Guggisberg, Niedermuhlern, Schwarzenburg and Zimmerwalk all claimed him as one of their sons. The origins of the Governor have been traced recently. Frederick Gordon Guggisberg's grandfather Johann (John), born in 1808 and a citizen of Belp …