Christian P. Lommen Biography


	This biography appears on pages 279-280 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				CHRISTIAN P. LOMMEN.  

	Christian P. Lommen is dean of the College of Medicine of the 
University of South Dakota, a position which calls for the exercise of 
executive ability as well as the power of forceful and effective 
teaching. He was born in Spring Grove, Minnesota, in 1865, of the 
marriage of Peter J. and Maria (Rask) Lommen, both of whom were born in 
Norway. The father was a farmer throughout his active life but has now 
passed to his reward, as has his wife also. They were the parents of 
four children; Belle, a teacher in the Iowa State College of 
Agriculture and Mechanical Arts at Ames, Iowa; Andrew, a physician of 
southwestern Minnesota; Sarah, the wife of Ning Eley, an attorney of 
Chicago; and Christian P. Of this review.  

	The last named was reared upon his father's farm in Spring Grove, 
Minnesota, and attended the country schools of the neighborhood. He 
later entered the normal school at Winona and still later became a 
student in the preparatory department of Carlton College at Northfield, 
Minnesota. From there he went to the State University of Minnesota and 
took a scientific course. In 1891 he was made professor of biology in 
the University of South Dakota and removed to Vermilion to assume the 
duties of that position. He has since taken post-graduate work in 
Berlin and has spent several summers at the Marine Biological 
Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Upon the organization of the 
College of Medicine of the State University of South Dakota he was made 
dean of the new school and holds that position as well as the chair of 
biology. He keeps in touch with all of the work done in the school of 
medicine and with the cooperation of the members of the faculty has 
succeeded in so coordinating the courses that the unnecessary 
duplication of subject matter is avoided and the work of each 
department is made to supplement the work of the others, thus providing 
a course that allows a student to use his time to advantage. A high 
standard of instruction is maintained and the Medical School has 
already gained a reputation for doing excellent work. He still retains 
the chair of biology and as a teacher succeeds not only in imparting 
accurate knowledge but also gives his students training in scientific 
habits of thought and an understanding as to what is meant by the 
scientific attitude of mind, thus preparing any to whom the subject 
makes a special appeal for independent investigation and research.  

	Mr. Lommen was married in 1892 to Miss Gunhild Solberg, a native 
of Minnesota and a daughter of Anders and Annie (Helgelson) Solberg, 
who were natives of Norway and emigrated to the United States. The 
father, who became a farmer of Minnesota, was a soldier in the Union 
army during the Civil war and was killed while at the front. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Lommen were born four children: Peter Arnold, a student in the 
medical department of the University of South Dakota; Ralph G., a 
graduate student at the University of Chicago; Frederick W., a student 
at the University of South Dakota; and Harold, who is attending high 
school. Mrs. Lommen died August 2, 1914.  

	Mr. Lommen is a republican with liberal views and in his 
religious belief he is a member of the Lutheran church, serving on its 
board of regents. He is thoroughly devoted to the State University and 
spares neither time nor thought in his constant endeavor to improve the 
quality of work done in the school of which he is dean and advance in 
any way possible the interests of the institution as a whole.