August Weenaas
Encyclopedia
August Weenaas was a Norwegian American
Lutheran minister and educator. August Weenaas was the founding President of Augsburg College
.
and educated in the ministry at the University of Christiania. He was ordained as a minister in the Church of Norway
. He served as a pastor there for several years at Loppen prior to immigrating to the United States in 1868. Weenaas resigned his pastorate in the beginning of February, 1868. Weenaas becomes a professor in Paxton, Illinois
at the Scandinavian Augustana Synod Seminary (now Augustana College
) in Rock Island, Illinois
. In 1869, August Weenaas was named president of Augsburg Seminary. August Weenaas was Augsburg’s president from 1869 until 1876. Weenaas recruited two professors from Norway, Sven Oftedal
and Georg Sverdrup. Together these three men would serve as the first three presidents of Augsburg Seminary covering the period 1868 through 1911.
Weenaas took active part in the movement which resulted in the friendly separation of the Norwegians from the Scandinavian Augustana Synod, at the meeting held at Andover, Illinois
, in June, 1870. He was one of the organizers of the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
at the following meeting held at St. Ansgar, Iowa
in August of the same year. From January, 1870 until June, 1876 he edited the official paper of the Conference called Lutheraneren og Missionsbladet.
His wife, Valborg died in September 1873 and subsequently his two young daughters also died. In 1876, Weenaas returned to Norway. In 1882, he returned to the United States with his second wife, Marie and several of their children. The family lived in Red Wing, Minnesota
where Weenaas taught theology at the Red Wing Seminary
from 1882 to 1885 before returning to Norway, where he engaged in pastoral work. Upon his return to Norway he received appointment as pastor at Søndmøre in Ålesund
, More og Romsdal.
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
Lutheran minister and educator. August Weenaas was the founding President of Augsburg College
Augsburg College
Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
.
Biography
August Weenaas was born in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and educated in the ministry at the University of Christiania. He was ordained as a minister in the Church of Norway
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
. He served as a pastor there for several years at Loppen prior to immigrating to the United States in 1868. Weenaas resigned his pastorate in the beginning of February, 1868. Weenaas becomes a professor in Paxton, Illinois
Paxton, Illinois
Paxton is a city in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,473 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ford County.-History:...
at the Scandinavian Augustana Synod Seminary (now Augustana College
Augustana College (Illinois)
Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Covering of hilly, wooded land, Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River...
) in Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
. In 1869, August Weenaas was named president of Augsburg Seminary. August Weenaas was Augsburg’s president from 1869 until 1876. Weenaas recruited two professors from Norway, Sven Oftedal
Sven Oftedal
Sven Oftedal was a Norwegian American Lutheran minister who helped found the Lutheran Free Church.Oftedal was born in Stavanger, Norway and studied at the University of Oslo. He came to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1873 to serve as a professor of the New Testament at Augsburg Seminary, predecessor...
and Georg Sverdrup. Together these three men would serve as the first three presidents of Augsburg Seminary covering the period 1868 through 1911.
Weenaas took active part in the movement which resulted in the friendly separation of the Norwegians from the Scandinavian Augustana Synod, at the meeting held at Andover, Illinois
Andover, Illinois
Andover is a village in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 578 at the 2010 census, down from 594 at the 2000 census. -Geography:Andover is located at ....
, in June, 1870. He was one of the organizers of the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America usually called the Conference was a Lutheran church body that existed in the United States from 1870 to 1890, when it merged into the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America....
at the following meeting held at St. Ansgar, Iowa
St. Ansgar, Iowa
St. Ansgar is a city in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,031 at the 2000 census.-History:St. Ansgar is named for the patron saint of Scandinavia, a French Benedictine monk who Christianized much of Denmark, Sweden, and northern Germany between 830 and 865 A.D. The town is...
in August of the same year. From January, 1870 until June, 1876 he edited the official paper of the Conference called Lutheraneren og Missionsbladet.
His wife, Valborg died in September 1873 and subsequently his two young daughters also died. In 1876, Weenaas returned to Norway. In 1882, he returned to the United States with his second wife, Marie and several of their children. The family lived in Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County....
where Weenaas taught theology at the Red Wing Seminary
Red Wing Seminary
Red Wing Seminary was a Lutheran Church seminary located in Red Wing, Minnesota.-History:Red Wing Seminary was the educational center for the Hauge's Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod in America, commonly known as the Hauge Synod. The synod de-emphasizing formal worship and stressing personal...
from 1882 to 1885 before returning to Norway, where he engaged in pastoral work. Upon his return to Norway he received appointment as pastor at Søndmøre in Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
, More og Romsdal.
Selected works
- Wisconsinismen; belyst ved historiske Kjendsgjerninger (1875)
- Falskt vidnesbyrd (1879)
- Mindeblade: eller Otte Aar in Amerika (1890)
Other sources
- Hamre, James S. August Weenaas: A Seminary President among Norwegian Immigrants Interprets the Nineteenth Century American Lutheran Scene (Lutheran Historical Conference, Bibliography of Writings on Lutheranism in America, Essays and Reports, Vol. 17, 1996)