Winther, Sophus Keith, 1893-1983

Sophus Winther was born in Søby, Denmark, June 24, 1893. Sophus, his parents Anton and Sine and his two brothers Rasmus and Søren came to the United States on April 16, 1895, and he was naturalized in 1900. He earned a B.S. from the University of Oregon in 1918, as well as an M.A. (1919) and a Ph.D (1927) from the University of Washington. Winter taught English at University of Washington for the rest of his career: as an instructor, 1927-1930; assistant professor, 1930-1934; associate professor, 1934-1940; and professor after 1940. He married one of his students, Eline Peterson, in 1925.

Winther’s novels include The Realistic War Novel (1930) and Beyond the Garden Gate (1946). Three more, Take All to Nebraska (1936), Mortgage Your Heart (1937), and This Passion Never Dies (1939), form a trilogy about the life of an immigrant Danish family in Nebraska. Additionally, Winther was a scholar on the works of Eugene O’Neill (whom he befriended), and wrote Eugene O'Neill: A Critical Study, in 1934.