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Field name | Value |
---|---|
Title | John Wiita Papers [Biographical Sketch of John Wiita] |
Author | Wiita, John |
Date | 1888-1978 |
Document Type | Personal Account |
Reference | IHRC2841, Box 1, Folder 10 |
Library / Archive | Immigration History Research Center Archives, University of Minnesota |
Collection Name | Wiita, John Papers, b. 1888 |
Description | A biographical sketch of John Wiita, a Finnish migrant to the United States, covering his career (including as an educator, miner and journalist), trade union and political activities, and family life. Typescript with manuscript corrections. |
Biographical Note / History | John Wiita (1888-1984) was born in Ylistaro, Finland. After attending folk school, he came to the United States at the age of 17. He settled in Superior, Wisconsin, where he worked as a longshoreman and railroad car repairman and was active in the Superior Chapter of the Finnish Socialist Federation. He also attended and taught at the Work People's College in Duluth, Minnesota. In 1916, he moved to Detroit, Michigan and later to other places, always remaining active in Socialist organizations, particularly with the Finnish American and Finnish Canadian labor press, including Toveri, Socialisti, Tyomies, Vapaus and Eteenpäin. After the 1921 split within the Finnish Socialist Federation, Wiita became a functionary within the Finnish Federation and Worker's Party of America; however, by 1945, when he moved to Brooklyn, Connecticut, he had dropped his Communist Party membership. He became a realtor, helping to found the Northeastern Board of Realtors. |
Theme(s) | Permanent Settlement and Successive Generations; Politics, Legislation and Governance |
Country (from) | Finland |
Country (to) | United States of America |
Places | Minnesota, United States |
Nationality | Finnish; European |
Keywords | emigration, socialism, communism, labour union, publications, newspaper, education, cooperatives, fishing and fishermen, ship building, lumber camp, railway, mining, real estate |
Additional Information | Please note: Some of the metadata for this document has been taken from the Immigration History Research Center Archives catalogue. |
Catalogue Link | Immigration History Research Center Archives Catalogue |
Language | English |
Document(s) linked to |
John Wiita Papers [Some Experiences of my Work at Upper Michigan as Communist Party District Secretary] |
Copyright | Copyright ownership in these materials is governed by US and international laws. The Immigration History Research Center Archives (IHRCA) holds the original objects from which these copies were made, but does not claim copyright ownership in the originals or scanned reproductions. The IHRCA welcomes additional information about the originals. |