ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

OLGER B. BURTNESS PAPERS

COLLECTION: OGL #175

DATES: 1911-1968

SIZE: 2.5 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The Olger B. Burtness Papers were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection. The acquisition records are unavailable.

ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Olger B. Burtness was born on a farm near Mekinock, North Dakota, on March 14, 1884. He was the son of Ole O. and Mary (Anderson) Burtness. He attended public schools in Grand Forks County, and graduated from the Prepatory Department at University of North Dakota .

He next enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts at UND. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree on June 14, 1906, and added a Bachelor of Law degree in June of the following year. While a student at UND, Burtness was president of the A.D.T. literary and debating society. He represented the University in several intercollegiate debates, and was also active in The "Mimer" Society, a Scandinavian literary society. He was also a member of the University football team, the Varsity Bachelor Club, and was Editor in Chief of the Dacotah annual.

He formed a law partnership in Grand Forks with Bardi G. Skulason in 1907. He married Zoe Ensign on September 8, 1909, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. In 1911, he first ran for public office, and was elected the States Attorney for Grand Forks County. He served in this capacity until 1916. In 1918 he campaigned for a seat in the North Dakota House of Representatives, running as a Republican. He won the election, and served from 1919-1920.

Burtness entered politics on a national scale when he won a seat in the United States House of Representatives on November 2, 1920. He was re-elected six times, and served from 1921-1933.

In 1930 he was honored by the King of Denmark with an Order of the Falcon with a star. He also represented the President of the United States at the 100th anniversary of the Icelandic Parliament.

Following his career in Congress, Burtness returned to Grand Forks to practice law. He was appointed judge of the First Judicial District, North Dakota District Court, by Governor Fred G. Aandahl in 1950. He was re-elected twice, in 1952 and 1958. He was a member of the North Dakota Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He was also a member of the Order of the Coif, an honorary law fraternity. On the local scene, he was the director of the Red River National Bank, and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Sons of Norway, and the Masons. Burtness was one of the founders of the UND Alumni Association, and helped organize the UND Development Fund in 1946. He sat on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for over thirty five years.

Olger Burtness died on January 20, 1960, in Grand Forks. He was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery on January 23, 1960. Following his death, Zoe Burtness donated $100,000 to the University to construct an assembly hall for plays, lectures, and concerts, in honor of her husband. The Burtness Theater was dedicated on April 28, 1963.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Olger B. Burtness Papers consist primarily of personal diaries for 1921 and 1927, as well as personal financial records. Correspondence and material concerning the Dakota Playmakers, and the Sock and Buskin Society at the University of North Dakota.

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 1
Folder

  1. Dakota Playmakers, box office reports, 1953-1963.
  2. Dakota Playmakers, correspondence about the play, "The Boor," and road trip, 1951.
  3. Dakota Playmakers, Callboard, vol. 1, nos. 1-7, 1952.
  4. Correspondence concerning Oxford debate team, 1956.
  5. Correspondence concerning Cambridge debate team, 1957.
  6. Correspondence concerning invitation to Long University Debate Team, 1958.
  7. Dakota Playmakers, correspondence, 1962.
  8. Burtness Theater, season ticket holders, 1963-1968.
  9. Lists of National Collegiate Players alumni, dates vary.
  10. Burtness Theater, use of theater, 1963-1966.
  11. Burtness Theater, box office reports.
  12. Burtness Theater, dedication, correspondence and pamphlets.
  13. Burtness Theater, seat fund.
  14. Burtness Theater, improvements.
  15. Dakota Playmakers, memos about tours, 1959-1963.
  16. Notebook of notes about tour in Europe.
  17. Diary, 1921.
  18. Diary, 1927.
  19. Dakota Playmakers, theater handbook, ca. 1955.
  20. Dakota Playmakers, plays written, 1920-1923.
  21. Dakota Playmakers, James Forbes, The Famous Mrs. Fair and Other Plays (New York: George H. Doran Co., c. 1920).
  22. Sock and Buskin Society, notebook of members and plays, 1910-1948.
  23. Scrapbook of clippings.
  24. Funeral Book.

Box 2
Folder

  1. Financial ledger, 1935-1959.
  2. Financial ledger: 1911-1957
  3. Checks and stubs.
  4. Financial material, letters, and records.
  5. Sock and Buskin Society, constitution and minutes, 1913-1920.
  6. Biographical material, memorabilia, awards, recognition

Return to: University Benefactors

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