S. Bernhard Widlund, born in 1878 in Ramsjö, Sweden, is a prominent businessman in Hawley, Clay County, Minnesota. Emigrating to the United States in 1897 with his family, he continued his education in Cooperstown, North Dakota, and later graduated from the North Dakota Business College. Widlund began his career with the Acme Harvester Company and Avery Manufacturing Company before moving into banking. In 1906, he became the cashier and manager of the First National Bank in Hawley. Widlund is active in his community, involved with the Union Church, the American Society of Equity, and the Masonic Order.
S. Bernhard Widlund is a prominent and successful business man of Hawley, Clay county, Minnesota. He was born at Rams jo, Helsingland, Sweden, in 1878, and is one of a family of eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. S. Widlund, who emigrated to the United States and settled at Cooperstown, North Dakota, in 1897.
Our subject attended the public schools in his native land and was graduated from there in 1893. He was a careful and diligent student, and after coming to this country in 1897, at-tended the common schools here, and the high school at Coopers-town, N. D. He devoted himself to mastering the English lan-guage, and also became proficient in the study and use of Ger-man, and maintained a high standing in his classes. Being ambitious to perfect himself and broaden his knowledge, he con-tinued his studies by private correspondence, after leaving school. To better fit himself for business Mr. Widlund took a two-year commercial course in the North Dakota Business College, at Fargo, North Dakota, and began his business career as an employee of the Acme Harvester Company, and Avery Manufacturing Com-pany, in charge of a department of the office at Fargo, and a part of the time as traveling salesman for the company, selling thresh-ing machines, supplies and farm machines. He next became a law student, stenographic clerk and bookkeeper in the law office of attorneys Templeton and Bex, at Grand Forks, North Dakota, and began the study of law. His next position was as a clerk and teller in the First National bank, East Grand Forks, Minnesota, where he acquired his first practical experience in banking, which he found greatly to his liking, so that he pursued the study of same in all its branches, with the result that, in 1906, he was chosen assistant cashier of the First National bank, Hawley, Minnesota Owing to his being away looking after lands in Williams county, North Dakota, he did not take up the duties of his office till April following his election, and then only for a few months, for in October, 1906, he was made cashier and manager of the institution, an office which he now fills.
Mr. Widlund takes an active interest in all that tends to raise the moral tone of the community, and is actively identified with the Union Church, being a member of its board of trustees, and a teacher in its Sunday School, and sings in the church choir, having a fine tenor voice.
He is secretary of the Hawley branch of the American Society of Equity, and belongs to the Masonic Order, being now in preparation for membership in the commandery. He is an ex-member of the Sharpshooters’ Union of Sweden, and holds a government medal for marksmanship.
Mr. Widlund’s brother, Isadore Widlund, whose home is in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is at present — 1909 — vice-consul to Sweden for North Dakota.
Source
C.F. Cooper & Company, History of the Red River Valley, Past And Present: Including an Account of the Counties, Cities, Towns And Villages of the Valley From the Time of Their First Settlement And Formation, volumes 1-2; Grand Forks: Herald printing company, 1909.