Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. District of Columbia Who was the first Norwegian to settle in Washington, the capital of the United States, how many of our countrymen ended up here, either as lawgivers or to fill one or another creditable position in government offices, is not easy to say. But it is probably true that Nikolay Jensen, the son of former Captain Jens Jensen of Moss, was the first. Nikolay Jensen came to Washington in 1850 and immediately got employment in a jewelry store on Pennsylvania Avenue where he stayed for 36 years. Most bigwigs and their families came to this store and he (Jensen) was able to see all the Presidents from Fillmore on up. He had conversations with Daniel Webster, to whom he was introduced by Henry Clay, and with Lincoln and McKinley. Jensen was otherwise a brave hunter and the bigwigs often took him on their hunting trips. At the end of the 50s he was robbed of thousands of dollars and his marriage to the youngest daughter of Dr. John Hawkins of Maryland had to be postponed until 1861. Her ancestors were high-ranking officers in the Revolutionary Army. In his older days he held the office of translator for the Pensions Bureau. Now he is dead. In the District of Columbia there are no Norwegian organizations with the exception of those who live here in the capital. They have also established a Norwegian Society - in 1902. And Pastor Kr. Kvamme of The Norwegian Synod established a small congregation here in 1905. The Norwegian N. H. Nelson from Decorah, Iowa was the first Scandinavian to serve as an officer (Lieutenant) in the Capitol Guard.