Rasmus Anderson was one of Luther College's more infamous students. In 1865, tired of the strict chores and rules of the College (e.g., chopping wood, shining shoes, scouring dishes, etc.), he led a group of students to write a "Bill of Rights" that called for students' rights and freedom. After being caught and refusing to apologize or redact any of his statements, Anderson was expelled from Luther College and was forced to immediately leave campus.
Anderson finished his education elsewhere and became a professor of at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He founded a publications company and translated a number of books from Norwegian to English. He also founded Leif Erikson Day and is credited with helping popularize the idea that Columbus did not find the New World, but that the Vikings did.
For more about Rasmus Anderson and his time at Luther College, come visit us in the Archives Reading Room. Anderson's autobiography is available for check out from Preus Library (Call # PD1534.A6 A3) and is available on Google Books: http://books.google.com/
