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Jean-Nickolaus Tretter
Tretter in 2018
Born1946
Died(2022-12-09)December 9, 2022
St. Paul, Minnesota
NationalityAmerican
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.

Staff organising the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection

Early life, education and military service

Tretter in 1992

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

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

Display at memorial service at the Elmer L. Andersen Library

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "Remembering LGBTQ archivist Jean Tretter". MPR News. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, renowned LGBTQ archivist, dies". MPR News. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-08. Retrieved 2023-03-30.

External links

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