Elmer J. Nordstrom (1904 – 1993) was co-president, with his two brothers, of the Nordstrom department store chain founded by his father, John W. Nordstrom. Born in Seattle, Nordstrom graduated from Broadway High School in 1923, and from the University of Washington. In 1928, John W. Nordstrom retired and sold his shares of the store he owned with Carl Wallin, Wallin & Nordstrom, to his two eldest sons, Everett and Elmer; Wallin retired in 1929 and sold his shares to them as well. The store name changed to Nordstrom in 1930, and the third son Lloyd joined in 1933. The three brothers focused on good value and quality, coupled with customer service, and by the 1960s, had the largest independent shoe store chain in the US, and the largest store in the country in downtown Seattle. In 1968, all three brothers retired, and the next generation of sons took over. The chain had grown to 10 stores in the Pacific Northwest by the time Elmer Nordstrom retired. He maintained an active interest in the company until his death in 1993.

Elmer Nordstrom also served for 57 years on the board of Swedish Hospital, and on the boards of several corporations and not-for-profit organizations, including the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation, the Northwest Kidney Foundation and The Arthritis Foundation.

Interview conducted by Evans Wyckoff and Stephen Dunphy at Nordstrom's home on June 12 and an unspecified date, 1985. This interview is part of the Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection. Don Schmechel, who was a member of the Seattle Public Library Foundation board, began this project with Seattle Public Library in 1984, with the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) brought on board as a partner in early 1985. Schmechel himself worked to raise the funding for the project, and volunteered his time to manage the project, and to conduct interviews along with a crew of volunteers. Originally titled the Videotaping Historic Figures (VHF) Program, the project interviewed 91 people, and MOHAI holds the interviews for 32 of these individuals.