Jean-Nickolaus Tretter | |
|---|---|
|
File:Jean-Nickolaus Tretter in 1992.png Tretter in 1992 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1946 |
| Died |
December 9, 2022 St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Archivist, LGBT activist |
| Education | University of Minnesota (incomplete) |
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter (1946 – December 9, 2022) was an American activist and LGBT archivist[1] who created the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies, housed by the University of Minnesota.[2]
Tretter was also the host of KFAI radio show Night Rivers, and the co-chair of the Minnesota Gay and Lesbian Olympic Committee. He co-organised the first Twin Cities commemoration of the Stonewall Riots in 1972.
Early life, education and military service[]
Tretter grew up in Little Falls, Minnesota and studied initially linguistics.[3] His family had arrived in Morrison County in 1848.[4]
After graduating, Tretter served with the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War.[3] From 1973, he studied cultural anthropology at the University of Minnesota, although faculty prevented him from focusing his studies on lesbian and gay anthropology.[3] Tretter dropped out of university in 1976.[4]
Career and activism[]
Staff organising the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection
After dropping out of university, Tretter worked at a home in Ramsey County for people with disabilities, while also undertaking private study on gay and lesbian history.[4]
He spent sixteen years as the producer and host of the gay and lesbian classical radio show Night Rivers, hosted on KFAI radio.[4]
In 1972, Tretter and his friends organised the first Twin Cities commemoration of the Stonewall Riots.[4] Around the same time, he started collecting LGBT themed items.[3]
In 1982, Tretter became the co-chair of the Minnesota Gay and Lesbian Olympic Committee.[4] The committee sent the third biggest delegation to the games and Tretter arranged for the torch run to pass though the Twin Cities.[4]
In 1983 Tretter created a gay history exhibit at St. Paul's Landmark Center.[4]
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection Logo
Tretter helped to develop the LGBTQ+ scene in Minneapolis, including establishing Twin Cities Pride, co-founding the Minnesota Committee for Gay Rights, and serving as manager of the Noble Roman and other gay bars across the Twin Cities.[5][6][7]
Tretter's LGBT collection grew over the decades and he donated it to the Andersen Library in Minnesota in 2000.[3][4] He worked as an archivist at the collection until retirement in 2011.[4] Post-retirement he served on an advisory board and supported academics focusing on LGBT history.[4][8]
Personal life and death[]
Tretter came out about his sexuality in the early 1970s,[9] after leaving the Navy.[4] He died in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on December 9, 2022, at the age of 76.[3][10][11]
References[]
- ↑ Greenblatt, Ellen (2014-01-10) (in en). Serving LGBTIQ Library and Archives Users: Essays on Outreach, Service, Collections and Access. McFarland. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7864-6184-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=kT4THMkDbE8C&dq=%22Jean+Tretter%22+Minnesota&pg=PA146. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ↑ Marcotte, Mike (2020-10-08). "Serve Our Society: Tretter Collection | Lavender Magazine". Lavender Magazine. https://lavendermagazine.com/our-affairs/serve-our-society-tretter-collection/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Jackson, Zoë. "Jean Tretter, local LGBTQ archivist and advocate, dies". Star Tribune. https://www.startribune.com/jean-tetter-local-lgbtq-historian-and-advocate-dies/600234614/.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 "About Jean Tretter | University of Minnesota Libraries". https://www.lib.umn.edu/collections/special/tretter/jean-nickolaus-tretter.
- ↑ Grumdahl, Dara Moskowitz (2020-06-21). "An Oral History of LGBTQ Life in the Twin Cities" (in en-us). Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/the-pride-behind-pride/.
- ↑ Matt, Lianna (2018-05-11). "A Historical Collection at Twin Cities Pride". Minnesota Monthly. https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/arts-entertainment/a-historical-collection-at-twin-cities-pride/.
- ↑ "A brief overview of queer and trans history in Minnesota". MinnPost. 2021-06-01. https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2021/06/a-brief-overview-of-queer-and-trans-history-in-minnesota/.
- ↑ "Remembering Jean-Nickolaus Tretter: Visionary collector established a unique and globe-spanning archive at the U of M Libraries". 10 December 2022. https://www.continuum.umn.edu/2022/12/jean-nickolaus-tretter-1946-2022/.
- ↑ "Remembering LGBTQ archivist Jean Tretter" (in en). 12 December 2022. https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2022/12/12/remembering-lgbtq-archivist-jean-tretter.
- ↑ "St. Paul's Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, LGBTQ archivist, activist and historian, dies at 76" (in en-US). 2022-12-11. https://www.twincities.com/2022/12/10/st-pauls-jean-nickolaus-tretter-lgbtq-archivist-activist-and-historian-dies-at-76/.
- ↑ "Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, renowned LGBTQ archivist, dies" (in en). 12 December 2022. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/12/12/jeannickolaus-tretter-renowned-twin-cities-lgbtq-archivist-dies-at-76.
The original article can be found at Jean-Nickolaus Tretter and the edit history here.
External links[]
- The Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies, Digital Transgender Archive.
- Tretter (Jean-Nickolaus) Night Rivers audiocassette collection, Online Archive of California'