Earl Warren

official photo of Earl Warren, Harris & Ewing photography firm, by Harvard Law School Library Legal Portrait Project

Date of Birth: March 19, 1891

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Date of Death: July 9, 1974

Place of Death: Washington, D.C., U.S.

Ethnicity:
*Norwegian (father)
*Swedish (mother)

Earl Warren was an American jurist and politician. A Republican, he served as District Attorney of Alameda County, from 1925 to 1939, Chairman of the California Republican Party, from 1932 to 1938, Attorney General of California, from January 3, 1939 to January 4, 1943, Governor of California, from January 4, 1943 to October 5, 1953, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, from October 5, 1953 to June 23, 1969.

He was the Republican Party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1948. He was also a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 1936, 1944, 1948, and 1952.

Chief Justice Warren was the son of Emma Cristina (Hernlund) and Erik Mathias Halvorsen Warren. His father was born in Skåre, Torvastad, Rogaland, Norway. His mother was born in Västernorrlands, Sweden.

He was married to Swedish-born Nina Elisabeth Palmquist Meyers, with whom he had six children.

Chief Justice Warren’s paternal grandfather was Halvor Halvorsson Vaare Vårå/Warren (the son of Halvor Olsson Vårå and Helga Olsdotter Straum). Chief Justice Warren’s grandfather Halvor was born in Skjold, Rogaland, Norway. Helga was born in Vikedal, the daughter of Ola Helgesson Liabø and Borgilla Olsdotter Skipavåg.

Chief Justice Warren’s paternal grandmother was Inger Knudsdatter Næs (the daughter of Knut Knutsson Nes and Brita Gudmundsdotter Vatland). Knut was born in Tysvær, Rogaland, the son of Knut Kristoffersson Nes and Torborg Johannesdotter Tosvoll. Brita was born in Tysvær, Rogaland, the daughter of Gudmund Gudmundsson Vatland and Marta Jakobsdotter Mortveit.

Chief Justice Warren’s maternal grandfather was Eric Hernlund (the son of Pehr Hernlund and Anna Lisa Sundberg). Eric was born in Västerbottens. Pehr was the son of Olof Hornsten and Christina Pehrsdotter. Anna was born in Nordmaling.

Chief Justice Warren’s maternal grandmother was named Anna Lisa Norberg. Anna was born in Hassela.

Two people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry have served as Vice President of the United States, Hubert Humphrey, from January 20, 1965 to January 20, 1969, and Walter Mondale, from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. Both were members of the Democratic Party.

Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were also the two people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry who were nominated for President of the United States by a major party, Humphrey in 1968 and Mondale in 1984, both by the Democratic Party.

Mondale was also the Democratic Party’s nominee for re-election as Vice President in 1980. Aside of Humphrey, Mondale, and Warren, two other people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry have been nominated for Vice President of the United States by a major party. The two were/are:
*Lloyd Bentsen (1988, Democratic; Bentsen’s father was of Danish descent)
*Tim Walz (2024, Democratic; Walz’s paternal grandmother was of Swedish descent)

Earl was one of several people of heavily Scandinavian ancestry to have won a major American party’s Presidential caucus and/or primary. He won 1 state in 1936, 1944, 1948, and 1952, California, each time. The others are:
*Charles A. Christopherson (who sought the 1944 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Christopherson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Hubert Humphrey (Democratic; in 1952, he won 1 state, Minnesota; in 1960, he won 2 states; in 1972, he won 5 states)
*Joe Foss (who sought the 1956 Republican nomination; won 1 state, South Dakota; Foss’s father was of Norwegian descent)
*Henry M. Jackson (Democratic; ran in 1972 and 1976: in 1976, he won 4 contests; Jackson’s parents were Norwegian)
*Walter Mondale (1984, the year he was nominated; Democratic; won 20 contests)

Other people of heavily Scandinavian heritage who have mounted plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States are:
*George T. Mickelson (who sought the 1952 Republican nomination; Mickelson’s father was Norwegian)
*Pat Paulsen (who sought the 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996 nominations, usually Democratic; Paulsen’s father was Norwegian)
*Frank Carlson (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination; Carlson’s parents were Swedish)
*Lloyd Bentsen (who sought the 1976 Democratic nomination)
*John B. Anderson (who sought the 1980 Republican nomination, and was later an independent 1980 candidate; Anderson’s father was Swedish and Anderson’s mother was of Swedish descent)
*Bob Smith (who sought the 2000 Republican nomination; Smith’s paternal grandfather was of Danish descent)
*Gary Johnson (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination, and was the Libertarian Party’s 2012 and 2016 nominee for President of the United States; Johnson’s father was adopted by Danish and Norwegian parents, and was possibly himself of Scandinavian descent)
*Michele Bachmann (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Bachmann is of Norwegian descent)
*Jon Huntsman, Jr. (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination; Huntsman is of one eighth Swedish, one eighth Norwegian, and one sixteenth Danish, descent)
*Eric Swalwell (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Swalwell’s mother is of Swedish and Danish descent)
*Perry Johnson (who sought the 2024 Republican nomination; Johnson’s father was of Swedish and Norwegian descent)

Source: Genealogy of Chief Justice Earl Warren – https://www.geni.com