Slovene Americans or Slovenian Americans are

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

of full or partial Slovene or Slovenian ancestry. Slovenes mostly immigrated to America during the Slovene mass emigration period from the 1880s to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

History

The first Slovenes in the United States were Catholic missionary priests in the early 19th century.Roger Daniels, ''American Immigration: A Student Companion'' (Oxford University Press, 2001), pp. 247–248. Two of the earliest such missionaries were Anton Kappus and Frederic Baraga. Many of these early immigrants were bilingual Slovene- German speakers. Baraga's sister Antonija Höffern became the first Slovene woman to immigrate to the United States in 1837. The peak of emigration from what is now Slovenia was between 1860 and 1914; during this period, between 170,000 and 300,000 left areas that are now part of Slovenia. By 1880 there were around 1,000 Slovene Americans, many of whom worked in the Upper Midwest as miners; within 30 years, about 30,000 to 40,000 Slovenian immigrants lived in the area of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, the center of Slovene American culture. The early waves of migrants were predominantly single men, many of whom (over 36% in the period 1899–1924) returned home after earning money in the United States,Thaddeus C. Radzilowski & John Radzilowski, "East Europeans" in ''A Nation of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage'' (ed. Elliott Robert Barkan: Greenwood, 1999), p. 194. mostly in unskilled labor. Many stayed, however, and Slovene women followed in settling in the United States. In 1914, Cleveland was the third most-populous Slovene city in the world, after

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

and

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

.Leopoldina Plut-Pregelj & Carole Rogel, ''The A to Z of Slovenia'' (Scarecrow Press, 2010), pp. 64–66. Within Cleveland, Slovene Americans developed their own cultural and social institutions, including Slovene-owned groceries, bars, furniture stores, clothing shops, and other businesses; Catholic parishes and elementary schools; mutual aid and fraternal societies; and even a Slovene bank (established in St. Clair, Cleveland in 2010). By the 1930s, five out of 32 members of the Cleveland City Council were Slovene. Most Slovene Americans living in Cleveland eventually moved to the city's suburbs, although cultural institutions within the city limits remain significant. The Cleveland metropolitan area remains home to the largest population of Slovenians in the world outside of Slovenia. Later Slovene arrivals migrated to the industrial cities or to mining towns in the

Upper Midwest The Upper Midwest is a northern subregion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed upon, the region is usually defined to include the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wi ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Two later periods of increased immigration to the United States were the years immediately after World War I (1919–1923) and World War II (1949–1956). Slovene post–World War II migrants consisted primarily of political refugees fleeing

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

's communist regime in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

; this group of migrants was generally older and better educated than earlier waves of Slovene migrants. Among Slovene immigrants, some were devoutly

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, while others were secular and anticlerical, with some holding liberal or socialist views. The division between the two groups was a prominent feature of Slovene-American communal life for much of the 20th century. A minority of Slovene immigrants practiced the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

faith. In the state of Michigan there are Baraga County, Baraga, Michigan, Baraga Township, Baraga Correctional Facility and Baraga State Park which are named after the Slovene missionary Frederic Baraga. The town of St. Stephen, Minnesota, was initially called ''Sveti Štefan v gozdu'' or ''Sveti Štefan v gozdovih'' (literally, 'Saint Stephen in the Woods'); its roots date back to the 19th century, when it was founded by Slovene immigrants to the United States. It later became the city of Saint Stephen northwest of Minneapolis.

Demographics

Large concentrations

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

* Chisholm, Minnesota * Eveleth, Minnesota * Ely, Minnesota *

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

The Slovene population in the United States has been historically concentrated in the

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and

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado. Three quarters of Slovene Americans live in six states: *

– 80,000 *

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

- 20,000 *

– 15,000 *

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

– 12,000 *

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

– 7,000 *

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

- 6,500

Numbers

In 1910 census reported 183,431 people of Slovene mother tongue living in the United States. By the time of the 1920 census, that figure had increased to 208,552. Following the enactment of restrictive immigration laws in the 1920s, the number of Slovenes immigrating to the United States declined. The 1990 census reported 124,437 Slovene-identifying people. According to the data for the year 2000, 175,099 persons identified themselves as Slovenian, which indicates a (positive) shift in self-image or the perception of Slovenian identity. It is estimated that in the USA live around 300,000 Americans of Slovene descent.

Fraternal, benevolent, social and cultural organizations

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Slovene Americans established a variety of social groups, including fraternal organizations, mutual insurance, and self-help societies,Irene Portis-Winner, ''Semiotics of Peasants in Transition: Slovene Villagers and Their Ethnic Relatives in America'' (Duke University Press, 2002), pp. 109–111. and cultural and educational institutions, such as choral and drama societies,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

groups, and Slovene-language newspapers. The establishment of Slovene American insurance companies allowed immigrants to protect themselves against discrimination and fraud. A number of mergers and name changes took place during the 20th century, Some Slovene American fraternal, benevolent, social, and cultural organizations include: * Jugoslovenska katoliška jednota (South Slavic Catholic Union), founded in Ely, MN in 1898, became American Fraternal Union (AFU) in 1941. * Kranjsko-slovenska katoliška jednota, (Carnolan Slovene Catholic Union) founded in Joliet in 1894, became the ''Ameriško-slovenska katoliška jednota'' or American Slovenian Catholic Union (KSKJ). * Slovenska narodna podporna jednota, founded in Chicago in 1904, became Slovene National Benefit Society (SNPJ). * Zahodna slovanska veza, founded in 1908, became Western Slavonic Association (WSA). * Indianapolis Slovenian National Home, founded in 1918. * Slovenska dobrodelna zveza (Slovenian Mutual Benefit Association), founded in Cleveland in 1910; became American Mutual Life Association (AMLA) in 1966. * Slovenski Narodni Dom (Slovenian National Home), Cleveland; founded in 1914. * Progresivne Slovenke Amerike ( Progressive Slovene Women of America) (PSWA), founded in 1934. * Slovenska ženska zveza Amerike, founded in Chicago in 1926, became Slovenian Women's Union of America (SWUA), and now Slovenian Union of America (SUA). * Slovenian Catholic Center, also known as Slovenian Cultural Center, Lemont, IL * Slovenian Cultural Society Triglav, Norway, WI; founded in 1952. * National Cleveland-style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland * American Slovenian Club of Fairport Harbor, Fairport Harbor, OH * Slovene Home for the Aged, Cleveland * Slovenian Museum and Archives, Cleveland * Slovenska Pristava, Harpersfield, OH; Slovenian Catholic recreation and retreat center * Slovensko društvo New York (Slovenian Society New York) * Slovenian National Home, Chisholm, MN (closed) The Slovenian Genealogy Society, International helps members trace their Slovene roots.

Slovene churches and choirs in the United States

A total of 39 Slovene parishes were established in the United States. The first Slovene national parish with a Slovene priest was formed in 1891 in Chicago. Four Slovene parishes were subsequently established on the east side of Cleveland: St. Vitus's (''Sveti Vit'') (established 1893); St. Lawrence (established 1901); St. Mary of the Assumption (1905), and St. Christine's (1925). St. Vitus's eventually grew to encompass a school and convent; a large new church in the Lombard Romanesque style, was built in 1932. St. Cyril Roman Catholic Church in the

East Village, Manhattan The East Village is a neighborhood on the East Side (Manhattan), East Side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is roughly defined as the area east of the Bowery and Third Avenue, between 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street on the ...

, was established in 1916 as a Slovene parish. Holy Family Roman Catholic Church was established in 1908 in Kansas City, Kansas by immigrants from

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region in Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south an ...

. The Slovenian Chapel of Our Lady of Brezje, in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., is the dedicated Slovenian National Marian Shrine, founded in 1971. Multiple Slovene choruses have been formed, including The Singing Slovenes in Duluth, Minnesota (founded in 1980), the Ely Slovenian Chorus in Ely, Minnesota (founded in 1969 by Mary Hutar, final performance in 2009); the Fantje na vasi (Boys from the Village) men's

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

choir in Cleveland (founded in 1977); and the Zarja Singing Society, Cleveland (founded in 1916).

Slovene schools in the United States

* St. Vitus Child Slovenian Language School, Cleveland * St. Mary Slovenian Language School, Cleveland * Slomškova slovenska šola / Slomšek Slovenian School, Lemont, IL

Media

The first newspaper established by Slovene Americans was ''Ameriški Slovenec'' (American Slovene), which was published in Chicago beginning in 1891 and subsequently in Cleveland. It originally had three versions: a Slovene-language edition, a standard English edition, and an English edition with Slovene phonetic spelling. The newspaper continues today as a weekly. Between 1891 and the 1990s, more than a hundred other Slovene-language newspapers and publications were established in the United States; only a handful were in print for more than a few years. The University of Minnesota Libraries has catalogued some 45 Slovene-language newspapers published in the United States in a variety of locations, including Pueblo, Denver, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New York.

Notable people

* Joe Kenda - detective lieutenant * George(Jurij) Kraigher - pilot * Anna Clobuchar Clemenc - trade unionist *

Lana Rhoades Lana Rhoades is an American internet personality, podcaster and former pornographic film actress. She has appeared in publications such as ''Hustler (magazine), Hustler'', ''Penthouse (magazine), Penthouse'' and ''Playboy''. Early life Rhoades ...

– internet personality, podcaster and former pornographic film actress * Michael Lah - animator * Melania Trump -

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

and former model * Barron Trump - son of Donald and Melania Trump

Actors

* Ami Dolenz – actor * George Dolenz – actor * Frank Gorshin – actor * Željko Ivanek – actor * Audrey Totter – actress *

Alida Valli Baroness Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli, or simply Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, span ...

- actress * Andrea True - actress * Francine York - actress * Donna Anderson - actress * Ursula Parker - actress * Rozalija Sršen - actress * Laura La Plante - actress * Mira Furlan - actress

Astronauts

* Jerry Linenger - astronaut * Ronald Sega - astronaut * Sunita Williams - astronaut * Randolph Bresnik - astronaut

Bishops

* Friderik Baraga - missionary * Ignacij Mrak - bishop * Janez Vertin - bishop * Janez Stariha - bishop * Jakob Trobec - bishop and missionary

Army

* Ferdinand Chesarek - general * John Stephan Lekson - general * Warren Joseph Pezdirtz - major-general * Stanley Gorenc - major-general and army pilot * Frank Gorenc - general and army pilot * Ronald Zlatoper - admiral * Jerome Edward Rupnik - rear admiral * William F. Petrovic - admiral

Politicians

* Frank Lausche - governor, mayor and senator * George Voinovich - governor, mayor and senator * John Blatnik - congressman * Tom Harkin - senator * Dennis E. Eckart - politician * Philip Ruppe - politician *

Jim Oberstar James Louis Oberstar (September 10, 1934 – May 3, 2014) was an American politician and Congressman who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2011. Hailing from Minnesota and a member of the state's local Minnes ...

- congressman * Paul Gosar - politician * Amy Klobuchar - senator

Writers

* Louis Adamič - writer * Ivan Molek - writer * Jože Grdina - writer

Engineers

* Joe Sutter - engineer * Dušan Petrač - physicist * Anton Mavretič - engineer * Zvonko Fazarinc - computer scientist * France Rode - engineer and inventor

Painters

* Bogdan Grom - painter * Gregor Perušek - painter

Comedy

* Anthony Jeselnik – comedian

Musicians

Karen Kamensek Karen Kamensek (born January 2, 1970, in Chicago) is an American orchestral and opera conductor. Biography Kamensek's parents immigrated from Kamnica, Maribor, Kamnica pri Mariboru, Slovenia to the United States, eventually settling in the Lou ...

– orchestral and operatic conductor * Joey Miskulin –

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

- winning musician and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

* Frankie Yankovic –

- winning musician, known as "America's Polka King", popularized Slovenian-style polka *

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...

–

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

performer known for his parodies of popular music *

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. ( ; born March 8, 1945) is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and reunions until 2021), and a co-star of the TV series ''T ...

– musician and actor (Drummer/Singer of The Monkees)

Sports

* Mike Adamle –

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player – Northwestern Wildcats and NFL – also a television and radio sports reporter and WWE wrestling announcer * Tony Adamle – American football player – Ohio State Buckeyes and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

(member of 1950 and 1954 NFL Championship teams) * Frank Brimsek –

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player * Bob Golic – American football player ( Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NFL –

, among other teams) – also an actor '' Saved by the Bell: The College Years'' * Mike Golic – American football player ( Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NFL –

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

, among other teams) – also

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

radio personality and host on Mike and Mike in the Morning * Randy Gradishar – American football player ( Ohio State Buckeyes and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

) * John Gruden – ice hockey player * Luke Hochevar – Major League Baseball pitcher * Frank Hribar – NFL Washington Redskins * Wally Judnich –

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player * Joe Kuhel – baseball player and manager * Les Kuntar – ice hockey player * Sepp Kuss – professional cyclist * Dan Majerle – basketball (NBA) player * Ken Novak – American football player * Anton Peterlin – soccer player * Peter Vidmar – gymnast, U.S. team captain and winner of two gold medals and a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics, was the highest scoring gymnast in U.S. history (with a 9.89 average) * Fritzie Zivic – boxer * Mark Zupan – athlete, wheelchair rugby team captain

References

External links

SNPJ Slovenian Heritage Center
Museum in Pennsylvania {{Authority control European diaspora in the United States American