Peter John Brekhus was born in Sogndal, Norway in 1874 and immigrated to the United States at the age of 21. He attended Augsburg College (Minneapolis, MN) and received his dental training at the University of Minnesota's dental school. In 1911, he joined the faculty of the dental school at the University of Minnesota. He was later chair of the department of oral diagnosis. Dr. Brekhus retired as professor emeritus in 1932. He was well known for his research on dental caries (tooth decay) and was the recipient of the prestigious William J. Gies award, presented by the American College of Dentists for outstanding research in dentistry (1940). Peter Brekhus died in June 1951.
From the guide to the Peter J. Brekhus papers, 1921-1943, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University Archives [uarc])
