Carl Johan Lundstrom was born on April 23, 1869, at Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Carl Johan and Rosalie (Schailand) Lundstrom, both of whom were also natives of Stockholm, where the father was a hat manufacturer. In November, 1889, Carl J. Lundstrom, Jr., came to the United States and shortly afterward accepted a position as inventor and draughtsman with the firm of D. H. Burrell & Company of Little Falls. While in their employ he invented and patented a number of improvements in dairy machinery, remaining with the company for five years. He then practiced as a patent attorney at Little Falls for four years.
In 1899 Mr. Lundstrom began the manufacture of sectional bookcases, the business at first being conducted in a very small way. It prospered and grew, however, sufficiently to show the possibilities that only awaited their development. In 1904 Mr. Lundstrom organized the business into a stock company, and since that time it has been unusually successful. Lundstrom sectional bookcases are sold direct from the factory to the consumer without any middleman's profit being added to the price. The business is conducted under the title of the C. J. Lundstrom Manufacturing Company, Mr. Lundstrom being president of the corporation, which has been manufacturing sectional bookcases for a quarter of a century, from time to time adding to its equipment, until today it has at Little Falls one of the largest and best equipped plants in the United States for the manufacture of sectional bookcases. The company manufactures the cases under its own patents, in its own factory, which is equipped with the most modern machinery and the most economical devices known to the cabinetmaking trade. Economies resulting from mass production on a very large scale, selling direct to consumers with the elimination of the middleman's profits, enable the company to quote prices much below the prices of competitors and effect a saving of thirty per cent or even more to the consumer. The purchaser also has the assurance of getting an article that has long since passed the experimental stage and which time and experience have proved a wonderful success. Mr. Lundstrom is also the owner of a number of patents for cream separators and dairy machinery.
Mr. Lundstrom is an independent in his political views and has never sought public office, but for two years he served as school commissioner of Little Falls. In his religious belief he is a Presbyterian and is a member of the First Presbyterian church of Little Falls. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of Little Falls. Mr. Lundstrom is fond of golf and all kinds of outdoor sports, enjoys traveling, and makes frequent trips to California, abroad, or touring about America.
On the 3d of October, 1893, at Little Falls, New York, Mr. Lundstrom was married to Miss Gertrude May Oppel, born in Little Falls on the 16th of May, 1869, her parents being G. A. and Elizabeth (Decker) Oppel. The three sons born of this marriage are: Valfrid Oppel Lundstrom; Birger Irving Lundstrom, who married Miss Elenor Becker of Little Falls; and Carl Brynolf Lundstrom, who married Miss Helen Whitehead of Herkimer. After the death of his wife Mr. Lundstrom was again married. On November 15, 1921, at Stockholm, Sweden, Miss Siri Hesse became his wife. The one child born to them is Carl Fredrik Lundstrom.