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Gunnar Olsborg papers, 1936-1997

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Olsborg, Gunnar, 1909-2000
Title
Gunnar Olsborg papers
Dates
1936-1997 (inclusive)
Quantity
11.42 cubic feet (12 boxes)
Collection Number
1978 (Accession No. 1978-004)
Summary
Papers of a Seattle, Washington, ship pilot and Norwegian American community leader
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

The papers are open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English, Norwegian
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities
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Biographical Note

Captain Gunnar Olsborg (1909-2000) was a Puget Sound Pilot and ocean master mariner. He was born in Seattle, Washington, of Norwegian ancestry.

Olsborg began his career in 1925 and served in all categories of the Merchant Marine Deck Department for the next twenty years. During World War II, Olsborg served as a shipmaster on American Mail Line vessels sailing the South Pacific. After the war, Olsborg became a Puget Sound Pilot. As a pilot, he was involved with pension debates within the group.

Olsborg retired from the Puget Sound Pilots in 1982 but continued to deliver ships to and from Alaska, Honolulu, and Seattle. He was a longtime member of many organizations including the Norwegian Commercial Club, the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society, the Council of American Master Mariners, and the Leif Erickson League of the Seattle Area. As secretary of the Leif Erikson League, Olsborg played an important role in the installation of the Leif Erickson statue overlooking Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle, Washington. During World War II, Olsborg became sympathetic to the plight of Japanese-Americans. He later became an active member of the Japanese-American Citizens' League and campaigned aggressively for the presidential pardon of Tokyo Rose Iva Toguri. He served as the president of the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Seattle. Olsborg also served on the Scandinavian Studies Advisory Board at the University of Washington from 1984 to 1988.

Aside from his career at sea, Olsborg had numerous public speaking engagements during his lifetime. He spoke on a variety of maritime topics, as well as Tokyo Rose Iva Toguri, Norwegian history, and the sinking of the Titanic. In 1965 he published biographies of the Puget Sound Pilots in the Western Viking.

Olsborg married Evelyn Torwick in 1929 and they had two daughters. He died in Seattle in 2000.

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Content Description

The papers include extensive speeches and subject files on Gunner Olsborg's maritime interests and Nordic heritage. Also included are materials from organizations with which he was affiliated, such as the Puget Sound Pilots Association, Immanuel Lutheran Church, the Norwegian Commercial Club, and the Seattle Seamens Center.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The creator's literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged into 6 series:

  • Personal papers, 1936-1997
  • Puget Sound Pilots Association (Seattle, Washington), 1954-1991
  • Immanuel Luthern Church (Seattle, Washington), 1959-1976
  • Norwegian Commercial Club, 1957-1991
  • Seattle Seamen's Center, 1963-1978
  • Other associations, 1961-1995

Acquisition Information

Gift of Gunnar Olsborg, August 1972, and Olsborg's daughters, 2001.

Processing Note

Accession No. 1978-004 is a merger of Accessions 1978-001, 1978-002, and 1978-003. Processing was completed in 2002.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Lecturers--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Lutherans--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Lutherans--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Merchant mariners--Labor unions--Research--Pacific Coast (North America)
  • Merchant mariners--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Norwegian Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Norwegian Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Norwegian Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle--Societies, etc
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
  • Pilots and pilotage--Washington (State)--Biography
  • Pilots and pilotage--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives

Personal Names

  • Olsborg, Gunnar, 1909-2000--Archives

Corporate Names

  • Immanuel Lutheran Church (Seattle, Wash.)
  • International Organization of Masters, Mates, and Pilots
  • Japanese American Citizens' League
  • Leif Erikson League of the Seattle Area
  • Norwegian Commercial Club
  • Puget Sound Pilots Association (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Seattle Seamen's Center

Form or Genre Terms

  • Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
  • Eulogies
  • Newsletters
  • Periodicals
  • Photographs
  • Speeches, addresses, etc
  • biography files
  • correspondence
  • minutes
  • notes
  • programs
  • reports
  • writings


2006

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

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