Ivar Johan Haglund (March 21, 1905 – January 30, 1985) was a Seattle folk singer, restaurateur and the founder of Ivar's.

Background

Ivar Johan Haglund was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of pioneers Johan Ivar Haglund, a Swedish immigrant and Daisy Hanson Haglund, daughter of Norwegian immigrants. His maternal grandparents had purchased Alki Point in 1869 from Seattle pioneer David Swinson Maynard. The house on the property, which is now located at 3045 64th Avenue SW in West Seattle, is considered to be the oldest house in Seattle. His mother died of starvation when he was only three on February 26, 1908, while under treatment by Linda Hazzard, a so-called fasting specialist. However, following autopsy, it was determined that his mother had been suffering from terminal stomach cancer, possibly for years, and that she would have died even without Hazzard's "treatment". The official cause of death was reported as stomach cancer. Ivar himself was treated by Hazzard several times after his mother's death, likely due to his father's belief that Hazzard's treatment had eased his late mother's suffering and extended her life.

Haglund “graduated from the University of Washington in 1928 with a degree as a stockbroker.”<!-- can someone explain this? I never heard of a degree in stockbroker! -->

Career

right|thumb|300px|Ivar's Acres of Clams

In 1938, he opened Seattle's first aquarium along with a fish and chips counter on Pier 54. Friends who visited him included novelist Thomas Wolfe (1900–1938), one of whose last photographs was taken in the company of Haglund in July 1938. In 1946, Haglund opened a full restaurant on Pier 54, Ivar's Acres of Clams, which with the fish and chip counter survives to this day (although they have been thoroughly remodeled). He coined its motto, "Keep Clam."

thumb|300px|Main entrance of Ivar's Salmon House

After his neighbor on Pier 56 put up a sign reading "Don't Feed Sea Gulls, Health Regulation" in 1971, Haglund responded with his own sign encouraging customers to feed the seagulls.

In 2009, the Ivar's restaurant company enlisted local historians to conspire in a hoax, in which historic billboards were placed underwater, ostensibly by Haglund before his death, and then "rediscovered."

See also

  • Ivar Feeding the Gulls (1988)

References

Further reading

  • Stephens, Dave (1986). Ivar: The Life and Times of Ivar Haglund (Seattle: Dunhill Publishing)
  • Article about Ivar Haglund on historylink.org
  • Photo of Ivar Haglund on the site of his alma mater, the University of Washington (class of 1928).
  • . Performed by The Iconics with John Roderick of The Long Winters at the Pike Place Market's 100-year Anniversary Concert
  • Some of Ivar's 1950s radio ads.