Jean-Nickolaus Tretter
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter | |
|---|---|
 Tretter in 2018 | |
| Born | 1946 |
| Died | December 9, 2022 St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Minnesota (incomplete) |
| Occupation(s) | Archivist, LGBT activist |
| Notable work | Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection at the University of Minnesota |
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[edit]
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[edit]
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] 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[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ Greenblatt, Ellen (2014-01-10). Serving LGBTIQ Library and Archives Users: Essays on Outreach, Service, Collections and Access. McFarland. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7864-6184-4. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Marcotte, Mike (2020-10-08). "Serve Our Society: Tretter Collection | Lavender Magazine". Lavender Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Jackson, Zoë. "Jean Tretter, local LGBTQ archivist and advocate, dies". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "About Jean Tretter | University of Minnesota Libraries". www.lib.umn.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
- ^ Grumdahl, Dara Moskowitz (2020-06-21). "An Oral History of LGBTQ Life in the Twin Cities". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ Matt, Lianna (2018-05-11). "A Historical Collection at Twin Cities Pride". Minnesota Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "A brief overview of queer and trans history in Minnesota". MinnPost. 2021-06-01. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "Remembering Jean-Nickolaus Tretter: Visionary collector established a unique and globe-spanning archive at the U of M Libraries". University of Minnesota Libraries. 10 December 2022. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Remembering LGBTQ archivist Jean Tretter". MPR News. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
- ^ "St. Paul's Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, LGBTQ archivist, activist and historian, dies at 76". Twin Cities. 2022-12-11. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ "Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, renowned LGBTQ archivist, dies". MPR News. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-08. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
