Overview of the Collection
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Repository Name:
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Robert A.L. Mortvedt Library
Scandinavian Immigrant Experience
Collection
Archives and Special
Collections Department
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA, 98447
253-535-7586
Email:archives@plu.edu
http://www.plu.edu/archives
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Collection Number:
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t043
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Creator:
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Johnson, Bertil Edward
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Title:
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Bertil Edward Johnson Oral
History Interview
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Dates:
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1980 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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2 file folders
1 sound cassette
2 compact discs.
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Languages:
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English
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Summary:
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An oral history interview with Bertil Edward
Johnson, a Swedish immigrant.
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Biographical Note
Bertil Edward Johnson was born on May 7, 1901
in Tacoma, Washington. Bertil's parents, John and Kristina Johnson, moved to
Tacoma from Sweden. They married and had four children, Bertil being the
youngest among two boys and two girls. The Johnson family lived in a
Scandinavian community where the language and customs were preserved. Bertil
began working after school and on the weekends at the age of thirteen. While
attending Stadium High School, Bertil worked for the Tacoma Butter Store; he
worked for one year after graduating in 1919 in order to save money for
college. Then Bertil attended the University of Washington for five years and
studied law. He passed the bar exam in 1925 and was appointed Assistant U.S.
Attorney in Tacoma in 1926. After 13 months, Bertil was appointed Prosecuting
Attorney for Pierce County from 1927-1935. Bertil opened a private practice in
1935, where he worked until 1951 when he became a judge. As a judge, Bertil
worked with a lot of respectful Scandinavian people from the area who were
attracted by Bertil's ability to speak Swedish. Bertil also worked with the
juvenile court and came across many controversial juvenile cases. Even though
Bertil was not born in Sweden, he has been very active in the Scandinavian
community; he belongs to the Swedish Order of Valhalla and the Scandinavian
Fraternity and at one time participated in the Swedish Order of Vasa and the
Scandinavian Old-Timers. He attends a Swedish Lutheran Church, where he has
served as the superintendent of Sunday school and as a member of the board of
trustees. Bertil has been involved in many non-Scandinavian organizations as
well: the Elks, Tacoma Lions Club, Tacoma Boys Club, United Good Neighbor Fund,
the Salvation Army, and the Allenmore Medical Foundation. Bertil has three
children with his wife Pearl Tate. He appreciates the life he has led and is
thankful for the work and the opportunities that have helped him achieve
success.
Lineage
Father: John Edward Johnson.
Mother: Stina (Kristina) Maria Jonasson. Paternal Grandfather: Andrew Jonasson.
Paternal Grandmother: Britta Maja Larsdotter. Maternal Grandfather: August
Jonasson. Maternal Grandmother: Sofia Anderson. Brothers and Sisters: Roy
Anders Johnson, Edna Maria Gorder, Astrid Sofia Stancer. Spouse: Pearl Naomi
Tate. Children: Judith Naomi Sloan, Linnea Kristina Alm, Bertil Frederick
Johnson.
Content Description
The interview was conducted with Bertil
Johnson on May 13, 1980 in Tacoma, Washington. This interview contains
information on growing up in Tacoma, attending school, practicing law, and
participating in Swedish organizations. The interview was conducted in English.
Administrative Information
Custodial History The Oral History collection
project was started during an experimental course on Scandinavian Women in the
Pacific Northwest. Students in the course were encouraged to interview women
and learn about their experiences as immigrants to the United States. The
project was continued and expanded with support from the president's office and
by grants from the L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, from the Joel E.
Ferris Foundation and the Norwegian Emigration Fund of the Royal Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project was directed by Dr. Janet E.
Rasmussen. The collection was transferred to the Archives and Special
Collections Department.
Processing Note The interview was conducted by
Bertil Johnson using a cassette recorder. A research copy was also prepared
from the original. To further preserve the content of the interview, it is now
being transferred to compact disc. We deliberately did not transcribe the
entire interview because we want the researchers to listen to the interviewee's
own voice. The transcription index highlights important aspects of the
interview and the tape counter numbers noted on the Partial Interview
Transcription are meant as approximate finding guides and refer to the location
of a subject on the cassette/CD. The recording quality is good
The
collection was transcribed by Mary Sue Gee, Julie Peterson and Becky Husby.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access The oral
history collection is open to all users.
Restrictions on Use There are no restrictions on use.
Related Information
Bibliography
Rasmussen, Janet Elaine. New Land
New Lives: Scandinavian Immigrants to the Pacific NorthwestTacoma, WashingtonUniversity of Washington
Press1993
Additional Reference Guides
Subjects
This collection is indexed under
the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these
headings.
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Alm, Linnea Kristina |
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Anderson, Sofia |
| Johnson, Bertil Edward |
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Johnson, Bertil Edward--Interviews (creator) |
| Johnson, Bertil Frederick |
| Johnson, John Edward |
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Jonasson, Andrew |
| Jonasson, August |
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Jonasson, Stina (Kristina) Maria |
| Larsdotter, Britta Maja |
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Sloan, Judith Naomi |
| Tate, Pearl Naomi |
| Anderson family |
| Johnson
family |
| Jonasson family |
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Larsdotter family |
| Tate
family |
| Allenmore Medical Foundation (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Boys' Club of Tacoma-Pierce County |
| Elks (Fraternal
order). Tacoma Lodge No. 174 |
| First Lutheran Church (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Lutheran Welfare Society (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Scandinavian Fraternity of America. Harmony Lodge -- (Tacoma,
Wash.) |
| Stadium High School (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Swedish Order of Valhalla (Tacoma, Wash.) |
| Mellerud (Sweden) |
| Sundals-Ryr (Sweden) |
| Tacoma (Wash.) |
| Judges -- Washington
(State) -- Pierce County |
| Public prosecutors
-- Washington (State) -- Pierce County |
| Swedish-Americans --
Ethnic identity |
| Swedish-Americans--Northwest,
Pacific--Interviews |
| Swedish-Americans--Social life and customs |
| Oral
histories |
| Judges |
| Lawyers |
Detailed Description of the Collection
The partial interview transcription
highlights important aspects of the interview. Numbers may be used as guides to
important subjects. Two numbers separated by a slash indicate that the first
number is for cassette and the second for CD.
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Cassette Counter
013/09:
Bertil Edward
Johnson
Born in Tacoma on May 7, 1901.
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Cassette Counter
021:
PARENTS
John Edward Johnson and Kristina Maria Johnson.
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Cassette Counter
032:
BROTHERS &
SISTERS
Roy, Edna, and Astrid. Bertil was
the youngest.
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Cassette Counter
054:
Father was a streetcar motorman for the Tacoma Railway and
Power Company. Came to Tacoma in 1887. They had streetcars pulled by horses
then. Panic of 1891. There was a depression then. Lasted for 2 years. Bertil's
father was out of work. He got a job at the Tacoma Smelter cleaning breaks for
50 cents a day. Then he got a job driving an electric streetcar. Did this until
he retired.
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Cassette Counter
106:
Bertil's father was born in Mellerud, Dalsland, Sweden. His
family was fairly well-to-do. He finished high school in Sweden. Then his
father lost everything. He came to the U.S. after that. Came directly to Tacoma
with some friends. He had relatives in Tacoma.
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Cassette Counter
140/10:
Bertil's mother was also born in Mellerud, Dalsland, Sweden.
Came to U.S. when 18 years old. She told stories about coming over on the
steamer. Many hardships. She went to Minneapolis. Worked for a family as a
cook. Might have come to the West coast because of Bertil's father. They knew
each other in Sweden. Bertil's mother went to school in Sweden. Talked more
about church in Sweden than school.
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Cassette Counter
185:
The Lutheran church in Sweden was strict. She got some of her
education there. She had one brother and 3 sisters. Her brother went to Germany
and married a girl from Hamburg. He was killed during the bombardment of the
city in Germany he was living in when the allies attacked.
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Cassette Counter
216:
Bertil has met this man's son, who lives in Hamburg. Bertil's
mother had a sister in Bellingham, Washington and a sister in Pennsylvania.
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Cassette Counter
241:
Her father had come to the U.S. He worked in the woods in
Minnesota. He died in Minnesota. She went back to Sweden in 1931 to visit her…
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Cassette Counter
254:
mother and other relatives. Bertil visited cousins there in
1966. He went to Stockholm and Hamburg. Drank coffee. Ate too much sweet food.
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Cassette Counter
284:
Bertil's mother came to Tacoma and got married (probably in
the Swedish Lutheran Church). Within a year or two, Bertil's oldest brother was
born. The other 3 children were born within 5 years. Bertil was born in their
house on 7th and Cushman. There were quite…
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Cassette Counter
335/11:
A few Scandinavians there. Then they moved to S. 14th &
Sheridan. It was like a Scandinavian colony. There was an Italian colony to
the…
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Cassette Counter
400:
North, Germans to the south, and Russians to the south. The
children of different ethnic backgrounds played with each other. Many couldn't
speak…
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Cassette Counter
425:
English before they started school. Parent's often
learned English from their children.
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Cassette Counter
458:
Bertil went to Stadium High School in Tacoma. Graduated in
1919. Bertil's family didn't have much. He started working when he was 13. He
worked in a fruitstand after school for 3 hours a day. Earned $2.50 per week.
He worked on Saturdays from 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. He had to walk from Lincoln
School on 16th & K to 11th & Market. He'd work and then walk home.
Sometimes he'd take the cable car home.
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Cassette Counter
504/12:
While in high school, he worked after school for the Tacoma
Butter Store which was on Pacific Ave. where the Seattle 1st National Bank now
is. Bertil is not sorry he had to work. Taught him value of time, money.
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Cassette Counter
555:
Worked for one year between high school and college to save
money. Worked for the five years he went to college. The first year he worked
with his brother who had bought a lot of stuff from the United States Shipping
Board. Sold hardware. For 2 years he worked for J. Bornstein & Sons who
were restaurant and hotel suppliers. He sold dishes and glassware to places in
Tacoma and southern Seattle. He worked in a library for his 4th and 5th years.
He graduated from the University of Washington in 1925. There were 30-35
graduates, one woman.
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Cassette Counter
614:
After he graduated, he took the bar exam in Olympia. The test
took 2 days. Bertil passed it.
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Cassette Counter
643:
Bertil had a friend, Billy Aspen, who was a judge of the
Supreme Court of Washington State. Bertil had thought about going to Shelton,
Washington to practice because they only had one lawyer in the county (Mason).
Judge Aspen convinced Bertil that he should go back to Tacoma to practice.
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Cassette Counter
674/13:
That's where he lived and knew people. Aspen arranged for
Bertil to meet with Fred Remen, who had a private practice. Young lawyers were
not too welcome in the practice of law in those days. Remen said he'd help
Bertil get started. He didn't' have an office. He sat in the reception room
with the stenographer. Bertil worked there for 6-8 months. Then Remen was
appointed to the superior court of Pierce County. Bertil took over his office,
which was located in the old Jone's Building on 8th and Broadway.
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Cassette Counter
712:
After 3-4 months, Bertil moved into an office with Henry
Arnold Peterson in the Washington Building.
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Cassette Counter
719:
Passed the Bar Exam in June 1925. In Sept. 1926, he was
appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney in Tacoma. This was during prohibition.
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Cassette Counter
731:
Did this for 13 months. Then was appointed acting Prosecuting
Attorney for Pierce County from 1922-35. More than 400 cases on the calendar
when he started. He would often work from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. He was in
court from 9:00 to 4:30 five days a week. He tells about…
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Cassette Counter
806:
Several court cases. Tried many who'd violated prohibition
laws: Sheriff of Grays Harbor County, sheriff of Lewis county, and 2 deputies.
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Cassette Counter
858:
Tried all kinds of federal cases, civil cases. Indian-Lottman
cases.
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Cassette Counter
866/14:
Many differences in the way courts are handled now. Judicial
process of criminals is much slower now. Now, if people don't get what
they…
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Cassette Counter
935/01:
want, they go to court. School teachers didn't strike in the
old days. There weren't as many strikes in general in those days.
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Cassette Counter
949:
Private practice from 1935-51. 50% of his work was criminal
work. People thought as prosecuting attorney he'd learned all the ropes.
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Cassette Counter
977:
Became judge from 1951-74. He worked with a lot of
Scandinavian people. Could speak Swedish. Made them comfortable. Honest people.
Respect law.
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Cassette Counter
1009:
Bertil doesn't remember ever charging a Scandinavian with a
serious crime. The worst they did was go out and get drunk.
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Cassette Counter
1032/02:
Scandinavians were honest people. God fearing people.
Generous to help one another. Wasn't until 2nd generation that you'd find
Scandinavian youngsters stealing. Greatest treasure of many Scandinavians was
their citizenship papers. They were not vicious or mean. Great respect for the
law and people who held public offices.
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Cassette Counter
115/03:
Not much trouble in the transition of becoming a judge. Most
difficult thing was switching from an advocate to one who is unbiased.
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Cassette Counter
160:
After 2 years, took over the juvenile court. Did this for 16
years. Did this on Tuesdays and Fridays. Very challenging, interesting,
frustrating. Could do things then that can't do now. He'd hold kids in
detention so they would understand they had done wrong. Can't do that now.
1965-66 Supreme Court decided to support the Goff Case. Youngsters were
entitled to have an attorney appointed for them and…
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Cassette Counter
208:
To have a trial. This has slowed down the process in the
Juvenile Court. Judge is no longer in a position where he can look at the
facts, the youngster, and the parents, and then do what he thinks is best for
the youngster. Judge has to follow prescribed rules.
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Cassette Counter
239:
Before, the goal was to make the juveniles understand that
what they had done was serious. They always stressed that the juveniles be
truthful. Get the kid to confess and clean up his act. Since the Goff Case,
juveniles have to be treated as criminals.
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Cassette Counter
326/04:
When first on the bench, Bertil worked at the old courthouse
on 11th & J street. Inside of building in bad shape. The floor sank about 2
inches during a murder trial because there were so many people inside.
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Cassette Counter
364:
JUVENILE CASES
Tells about four boys who did $16,000 damage to
Lincoln High School on a Saturday night. They took down the fire hose. Left it
on all night. They paid for damage. Two boys used guardianship money. Parents
of one mortgaged house. Fourth boy got job at school. Worked every weekend,
vacation for $1.00 per hour.
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Cassette Counter
483/05:
Tells about some other juvenile cases. Some high school kids
on a football team. Were in good economic shape. Broke into a ski shop. 8 years
later one of the boys came to his courtroom and told him he was practicing law
in Seattle. He has met many of the youngsters he'd had in juvenile court as
adults. He's seen all sides of it. One boy in his court had hung a little girl.
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Cassette Counter
558:
SWEDISH
ORGANIZATIONS
Belongs to the Swedish Order
of Valhalla. Member for 50 years. Scandinavian Fraternity. Belonged to Swedish
Order of Vasa at one time. Was president of Scandinavian Old-Timers. Went to
Swedish Lutheran Church. Served there for many years. Superintendent of Sunday
school for 15 years. Served on the board of trustees for many years. All of the
services were in Swedish until 1950. They had a great minister…
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Cassette Counter
599:
H.C. BLOMQUIST
Spoke excellent Swedish. Church was on S. 8th & I
street. Burned in 1924. Only place for them to go was the Valhalla Temple on K
Street. Dances on Saturday night and church on Sunday morning. New church built
on 6th & I street. Edward Young, member of the church, was the contractor.
He also built Lincoln High School.
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Cassette Counter
628/06:
Many Scandinavians who were outstanding citizens in the
Tacoma Community. Christopherson - Superintendent of Streets. Carlson - Chief
of fire department. Dr. Christian Kvevly (?) a Norwegian. He was very well
thought of. The Swedish Order of Valhalla made him an honorary member. Unusual
- Norwegians and Swedes didn't' get along.
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Cassette Counter
679:
Has been active in the Elks. Past president of Tacoma Lions
Club. Past president, board of directors of Tacoma Boys Club. Campaign chairman
of United Good Neighbor Fund. Tacoma Boys Club started by Fred Remen in 1939.
Salvation Army agreed to sponsor Boys Club. Bertil was chairman of advisory
committee of Salvation Army. Bertil, Fred, and George Paul put on a campaign to
start the first Boys Club.
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Cassette Counter
706/07:
Built first Boys Club in 1940-41 on 25th and J Street. They
felt they could keep boys out of trouble if they gave them something to do.
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Cassette Counter
755:
One of the organizers of the Lutheran Welfare Society. They
got together to help the community. This was during the depression. Vincent
Thoreen (?) was the first executive director. Had offices on the corner of 15th
and Pacific for many years.
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Cassette Counter
801:
Active in the Allenmore Medical Foundation. Became member of
the board at the hospital in 1935. In 1961 they started the Allenmore Medical
Center on 19th and Union. They sold out to the American Medical Order. They
built a new hospital. Allenmore made $500,000 from the sale. They formed the
Allenmore Medical Foundation. The interest from that money has to be spent
every year. They give 3 scholarships to Pacific Lutheran University. One for
$5,000 to a pre-med student. Two $2,500 scholarships to senior nursing
students. One $5,000 scholarship for a pre-med student at the University of
Puget Sound. For the last 3 years, they have given $22,000 to the Lutheran Home
for beds and medical needs. They also give $5,000 a year to Tel-med, which is
run by the Pierce County Medical Society. They gave $20,000 to the Family
Practice Foundation in Tacoma. Money must be given for medical purposes.
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Cassette Counter
886/08:
PLU
Has spoken at Eastvold Chapel many times. He knew Dr.
Eastvold quite well.
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Cassette Counter
910:
He has been chairman of the Elks for Santa Lucia Day for 12
years. Members of the SPURS from PLU put on a pageant for the Elks. This takes
place on a Sunday. They have a Scandinavian dinner at the Elks with lutefisk,
kalvedans, and risgrynsgroet. In 1979, about 650 people came.
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Cassette Counter
934:
WIFE &
CHILDREN
Wife: Pearl Tate. Children:
Judith Sloan: Graduated from Stanford University nursing school. Was in the
Navy 2 years. Has 2 kids. They are teenagers. She is getting her masters degree
at the Univ. of Washington. Wants to be a nurse practitioner. Took a class on
mythology at PLU. Kristina Linnea: Married to Charles Alm. He is vice-president
of the Olympic Standard Company. Bertil Frederick: Lawyer in Tacoma.
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Cassette Counter
988/09:
"I've had a very interesting life." His mother would have
liked him to go into the ministry. He felt that only those who felt a special
calling should go into the ministry. He didn't have that. He started out
studying Business Administration. Decided to go into Law his junior year. "The
thing that has meant the most to me is that I learned to work early in life. I
learned to appreciate things. If you learn to work, you learn to enjoy life, be
considerate of others. You learn to have a desire to achieve. Money is not the
important thing in life."
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