Thorvald Solberg
| Thorvald Solberg | |
|---|---|
| 1st Register of Copyrights | |
|
In office July 22, 1897 – April 21, 1930 |
|
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | William Lincoln Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 22, 1852 Manitowoc, Wisconsin |
| Died | July 15, 1949 (aged 97) Glen Echo Heights, Maryland |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Adelaide Nourse |
| Residence | Glen Echo Heights, Maryland |
Thorvald Solberg (April 22, 1852 – July 15, 1949) was the first Register of Copyrights (1897–1930) in the United States Copyright Office. He was a noted authority on copyright and played an instrumental role in shaping the Copyright Act of 1909.
Thorvald Solberg was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He was the eldest of six children born of immigrant Norwegian parents. Solberg attended public schools, working for booksellers after graduation in Manitowoc, Boston, Detroit, Knoxville, and Omaha.
On May 1, 1876, Solberg began working in the Library of Congress as a cataloguer. In 1876, he became part of the Library's law department staff, despite not being a lawyer. While there, he played an active role in the direction and control of the Library's copyright registration and deposit functions. He remained in that position until he left the Library altogether in 1889 to work for the Boston Book Company.
In 1897, Congress created the United States Copyright Office as a separate department of the Library of Congress to handle the administrative functions of copyright law. Solberg was widely supported to become the first head of the Office due to his growing reputation as a national authority on copyright (and due to some lobbying on his own part for the post). After being interviewed by President William McKinley, Solberg was appointed by Librarian of Congress John Russell Young and took office as the first Register of Copyrights on July 22, 1897, with an annual salary of $3000 and a staff of 29 clerks.
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