Last week Mayor Thompson appointed our countryman, Charles Bostrom to the office of Building Commissioner of Chicago. The City Council approved the appointment the same day, and Tuesday Mr. Bostrom was on the job.

His predecessor, Henry Ericsson, a building contractor, is also a Swedish-American. The office of Building Commissioner is one that carries much responsibility, and the remuneration is correspondingly high. Bostrom's appointment had been expected ever since Mayor Thompson took office.

Charles Bostrom was born in Boda, Varmland, Sweden, December 27, 1872. His father was a prosperous farmer, and the boy received a good upbringing. He 2liked to work with tools, and learned carpentry thoroughly. At the age of twenty he came to America, and worked first in Ishpeming, Michigan. Two years later, in 1894, we find him in Chicago where he went into the building contracting business, and also began to speculate in real estate on quite a large scale. He has built up many sections of the city, and both as a builder and as a real-estate operator he has earned a fine reputation for honesty and fair dealing.

In 1901 Bostrom married Emma Carlson, of Orebro, Sweden. In 1912 he was the Lincoln League's candidate for president of the County Commission.