O. Fritiof Ander

Oscar Fritiof Ander was born June 6, 1903, in Gendalen, Sweden. He immigrated to the United States in 1921 and became a citizen in 1927. He received his bachelor's degree from Augustana College in 1926 and his master's and doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1927 and 1930, respectively.

Ander joined the history department at Augustana College in 1930 and became its chair in 1935. His research focused on intellectual and immigration history, and he was the author of numerous articles and books on these subjects.

Outside Augustana, Ander was an active member of various historical and educational organizations, including the Mississippi Valley Historical Association. He was instrumental in the planning of that society's meeting held in Rock Island in April 1948. Ander was on the board of editors of the Augustana Historical Society. In 1947 Ander co-founded the journals Junior Historian of Illinois and American Heritage; he also served on their editorial boards.

Ander was given honorary doctorates by California Lutheran College and the University of Uppsala in Sweden. In 1961 he was made a Knight of the Order of the North Star by the King of Sweden in honor of his achievements as a Swedish historian.

After his retirement from Augustana, Ander and his wife, Ruth E. Johnson, moved to Sweden. Ander died March 5, 1978, in Laguna Hills, California, where he had been spending the winter.