Herman Stern (August 9, 1887 – June 20, 1980) was an American humanitarian, social and economic activist, businessman, visionary and director of the North Dakota Winter Show, and Holocaust rescuer.

Early life

Born in Oberbrechen, Germany in 1887, Herman Stern immigrated to America in 1903, at the encouragement of his uncle Morris G. Straus, owner of the Straus Clothing store in

Casselton, North Dakota Casselton is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,479 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. making it the List of cities in North Dakota, 20th largest city in North Dakota. C ...

. After Straus purchased the former Sternberg store in

Valley City, North Dakota Valley City is a city in and the county seat of Barnes County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 6,575 at the 2020 census, making it the 12th most populous city in North Dakota. Valley City was founded in 1874. Valley City is kno ...

, in 1908, Stern moved to Valley City in 1910 to assist in the management of that store. In 1912, he married Adeline Roth, the much younger sister of Straus' wife (and cousin of Sternberg's daughter). One by one, other members of the Straus family left North Dakota, leaving Stern as owner and manager of Straus Clothing by 1920. He would live in Valley City for the remainder of his life.

Holocaust rescuer

In the 1930s, with the aid of his wife Adeline and active cooperation from U.S. Senator

Gerald Nye Gerald Prentice Nye (December 19, 1892 – July 17, 1971) was an American politician who represented North Dakota in the United States Senate from 1925 to 1945. Nye rose to national fame in the 1930s as chair of the Special Committee on Investig ...

, Stern managed to save the lives of over 140 German Jewish refugees by sponsoring them for visas (including finding them jobs), and making arrangements to bring them to the United States. He said little in later life about rescuing so many men and women from inevitable death in the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, noting only "they did not owe me anything."

Civic and fraternal organizations

Herman Stern was inducted into the Casselton Lodge No. 3 of

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

in 1908. In 1913, Mr. Stern became a member of the Valley City Lodge, and was a member of the

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the Droit Humain, it is a concordant body and ov ...

. He was a member of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

a service oriented organization. He founded the Greater North Dakota Chamber, which promotes business development and North Dakota tourism, and developed the North Dakota Winter Show. He founded an organization called the Community Chest. The organization is the predecessor to the current United Way of Barnes County. He was also active with the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

, and led efforts to establish councils in Fargo, Valley City, Wahpeton and

Grand Forks Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Fargo and Bismarck. Grand For ...

, which later merged into the Northern Lights Council. In 1946, Stern started the fundraising campaign to build a regional camp for Scouting, today known as Camp Wilderness in

Hubbard County, Minnesota Hubbard County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,344, and was estimated to be 22,050 in 2024, Its county seat is Park Rapids. Part of the Leech Lake Indian Res ...

Honors and awards

In 1974, Herman Stern was awarded the

Silver Buffalo Award The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of Scouting America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting program. The ...

, bestowed by the

in recognition of exceptional service to youth. Camp Wilderness created an award named after Herman Stern, in recognition of his funding and creation efforts for the camp. The Herman Stern Honor Troop Award is given to troops at the end of each week of camp during the summer season. The award is given to Scouts BSA troops for camp participation, and adherence to the twelve points of the

Scout Law Scout Law is a set of codes in the Scout movement. Since the publication of '' Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to the ideals of the movement and have subscribed to ...

. For his many achievements and contributions to the state, Stern was posthumously inducted into the

Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award The Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award is an award presented by the Governor of North Dakota, governor of the state of North Dakota to prominent North Dakotans. The award "recognizes present and former North Dakotans who have been influenced by th ...

in 2014 by North Dakota Governor

Jack Dalrymple John Stewart Dalrymple III (born October 16, 1948) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 32nd governor of North Dakota from 2010 to 2016. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th lieutenant gover ...

Documentary film

In 2017, Video Arts Studio of Fargo, North Dakota, produced ''The Mission of Herman Stern'', a documentary film about Herman Stern's efforts to rescue 125 Jews from Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. The film was directed by Art Phillips and includes the stories of several people who were rescued by Herman. Congressman Earl Pomeroy discusses the role that Senator Gerald Nye played in helping Herman Stern secure visas. Historian Carl Oberholtzer describes life in the United States and Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. The filmmakers hope to have the film added to the school curriculum across North Dakota.

Early life

Holocaust rescuer

Civic and fraternal organizations

Honors and awards

Documentary film

References

Further reading