John Karl Daniels

Who was John Karl Daniels?

John Karl Daniels was a Norwegian-American sculptor.

He was born in Norway in 1874, and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1884. He attended the Mechanics Arts High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he first received formal training for his craft as a sculptor. He became a pupil of Knut Okerberg in Norway, and of Andrew O'Connor in Paris, France.

He was based in Minnesota, where most of his work can be found. His studio was a former icehouse, located behind the old Van Dusen mansion at 1900 LaSalle Avenue in Minneapolis.

He created war memorials for Grafton, North Dakota and Long Prairie, Minnesota. His granite Pioneers sculpture was given to the City of Minneapolis by the family of Charles Alfred Pillsbury during the Great Depression. It served as the centerpiece of a park called Pioneer Square, near the Minneapolis Central Post Office. His work includes the Soldiers Monument at Summit Park in St. Paul, the architectural ornament of the Washburn Park Water Tower in Minneapolis, and the statue of Leif Erikson at Leif Erikson Park in Duluth, Minnesota.