Wallin, Johan Ludvig, newspaperman — Portland — born in Helsingborg on January 25, 1875. Completed five years of elementary school and emigrated to America with his parents and siblings in 1888. The family settled in Portland, Oregon. Here, Wallin has mostly worked in the newspaper business, initially as a typesetter, then as a reporter, correspondent, publisher et cetera. He was first employed by Journal of Commerce, which has now ceased publication, and he was the owner of Daily Official Record, which he later sold and which eventually changed its name to Daily Official Abstract. Wallin was involved in a political quarrel, from which he emerged the winner. In 1894 he published Portlands Veckoblad, in 1896 the Danish monthly Journalen and in 1907 he became part owner of the Swedish monthly Nordvestern. He worked for eight years for the daily newspaper Telegram, for two years for The Oregonian, and for the last six years for The Journal, whose circulation during this time increased from 28,000 to 42,5000 and continues to grow.
Wallin has held many different positions at these newspapers, among them reporter, telegram editor and assisting city editor. He is the Scandinavian correspondent for the Commercial Club as well as the regular correspondent for the following newspapers: American Lumbermen in Chicago, Western Hardware Journal and Implement Trade Journal in Kansas City, American Banker in New York and Pacific Tribune in Seattle. He dedicates a great deal of his time to music, plays several instruments, and has for many years been an orchestra leader at different events. Together with Edward Boyse he has put on theatrical performances and acted on stage himself a couple of times. Wallin and Boyse were the first in Portland to present the plays “Wermländingarne” and “En natt i Dalarne.” Wallin owns a home on No. 535 E. Salmon Street, is a member of Swedish Society Linnea, Scandinavian Brotherhood, Portland Press Club, Consecrated Order of Hoo Hoo, charter member of Fram Assembly of United Artisians, and honorary member of the song club Columbia. In 1907 he married Maria Backie from Kristiania (Oslo), Norway; they have a son.
