Background
Thorvald Solberg was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
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Thorvald Solberg
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Education
Solberg attended public schools, working for booksellers after graduation in Manitowoc, Boston, Detroit, Knoxville, and Omaha.
Career
He was a noted authority on copyright and played an instrumental role in shaping the Copyright Acting of 1909. He was the eldest of six children born of immigrant Norwegian parents. On May 1, 1876, Solberg began working in the Library of Congress as a cataloguer.
In 1876, he became part of the Library"s law department staff, despite not being a lawyer
While there, he played an active role in the direction and control of the Library"s copyright registration and deposit functions. He remained in that position until he left the Library altogether in 1889 to work for the Boston Book Company.
In 1897, Congress created the United States as a separate department of the Library of Congress to handle the administrative functions of copyright law. Solberg was widely supported to become the first head of the Office due to his growing reputation as a national authority on copyright (and due to some lobbying on his own part for the post).
After being interviewed by President William McKinley, Solberg was appointed by Librarian of Congress John Russell Young and took office as the first on July 22, 1897, with an annual salary of $3000 and a staff of 29 clerks.
During his tenure as Register, Solberg played an active role in advancing United States copyright law. He advocated copyright reform and was instrumental in the passage of the Copyright Acting of 1909, one of the most significant revisions in United States copyright law. Solberg also pushed for the United States to join the Berne Convention.
Thorvald Solberg retired as Register on April 21, 1930, his 78th birthday.
He remains the longest-serving History.
