Carlton Chester Qualey (December 17, 1904 – March 25, 1988) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

academic, author, and historian. His research specialized principally in

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

immigration. An eminent historian, his publications include books, articles and reviews produced over a 60-year career. He is most frequently associated with his 1938 study, ''Norwegian Settlement in the United States''.

Early life and education

Qualey was born in

Spring Grove, Minnesota Spring Grove is a city in Houston County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,330 at the 2010 census. It is part of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office has been in operation at Spring ...

, the son of Ole O. Qualey (1858–1937) and Clara Amalia (Knatterud) Qualey (1868–1947), He earned a bachelor's degree from

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Ola ...

in 1929, a master's from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in 1930, and a PhD from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

in 1938.

Career

Qualey taught history at

from 1936 to 1944,

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...

from 1944 to 1945, Columbia Graduate School from 1945 to 1946, and

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowlin ...

from 1946 to 1970. Qualey was a member of the

Mississippi Valley Historical Association The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad in ...

from 1940 to 1965 and the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad inc ...

from 1965 to 1973. He served on the editorial board of the

Norwegian-American Historical Association Norwegian-American Historical Association is a non-profit, member-supported organization dedicated to locating, collecting, preserving and interpreting the Norwegian-American experience. It publishes scholarly books and maintains a historical arc ...

from 1931 to 1987. Qualey was the superintendent of the Minnesota Historical Society from 1947 to 1948, as well as a research fellow and initiator of the Ethnic History Project from 1973 to 1981. He was one of the founders and treasurer of the Immigration and Ethnic History Society and for many years editor of the ''Immigration and Ethnic History Newsletter''.

Personal life

Qualey and his wife, Elizabeth, had two children. Elizabeth was the sister of

E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

. Qualey died in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

in 1988.

Awards

The Carlton C. Qualey Memorial Article Award is a prize is awarded every other year for the best article appearing in the ''Journal of American Ethnic History'' during the two preceding calendar years. The award was established by the Immigration and Ethnic History Society in memory of Professor Carlton C. Qualey who was a founder of the Society. The ''Journal of American Ethnic History'' is published by the

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic projec ...

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metrop ...

.''Carlton C. Qualey Memorial Article Award''
(Immigration and Ethnic History Society)

Selected bibliography

*''Pioneer Norwegian Settlement in Minnesota to 1876'' (University of Minnesota. 1930) *''The Fox River Norwegian Settlement: On occasion of the Celebration of 100th Anniversary of the first permanent Norwegian Settlement in the United States at Norway & Ottawa, Illinois, June 22–24, 1934'' (Illinois State Historical Society. 1934) *''The Settlement and Agriculture Development of the Township of Spring Grove, Houston County, Minnesota to 1880'' (Norwegian-American Historical Association. 1936) *''Norwegian Settlement in the United States'' (Norwegian American Historical Association. 1938) *''Recent Biographies in American History'' (National Council for the Social Studies. 1951) *''Thorstein Veblen'' (University Presses of California, Columbia and Princeton. 1968) *''On Being an Ethnic Historian'' (Friends of the Library, Western Reserve Historical Society. 1972) *''American Ethnic Nationalisms: A Bibliographical Selection'' (University of Prince Edward Island. 1979)

References

External links

Carlton C. Qualey papers (Minnesota Historic Society)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qualey, Carlton C. 1904 births 1988 deaths American people of Norwegian descent People from Spring Grove, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni St. Olaf College alumni Columbia University alumni Columbia University faculty Swarthmore College faculty Carleton College faculty 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers