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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | John Wiita Papers [Tyoväen Opisto, the Finnish Work Peoples' College in Minnesota] |
| Author | Wiita, John |
| Date | 1903-1977 |
| Document Type | Personal Account |
| Reference | IHRC2841, Box 1, Folder 14 |
| Library / Archive | Immigration History Research Center Archives, University of Minnesota |
| Collection Name | Wiita, John Papers, b. 1888 |
| Description | An account detailing its foundation, staff, curriculum and politics up to 1915. Wiita then turns to the subject of newspapers, politics, and international events. |
| 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, religion, language classes |
| 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 [Rebuttal to a book on the Finnish-American labour movement] |
| 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. |
