Carl Rudolph Berghult

C. Rudolph Berghult

Mr. Berghult was Duluth, Minnesota’s first native born mayor serving from 1937-1941. He was, at age 32, the nation’s youngest mayor of a city with a population of over 100,000. He was a graduate of Denfeld High School in Duluth in 1923.

He served in WWII as Deputy Chief of a US Naval component of the SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) Mission to Norway. As captain of Subchaser USS 1291, on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, his ship served as a Control Ship, directing landing craft onto Normandy Beach.

He was awarded the Bronze Star medal for action in saving the lives of 25 seriously burned and injured soldiers on a disabled landing craft.

He was also awarded the: American Area Campaign Medal, EAME (Europe-Africa-Middle Eastern) Medal w/ star and the Haakon VII Freedom Medal (Norway).

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