Claus Lauritz Clausen
Encyclopedia
Claus Lauritz Clausen was an American pioneer Lutheran minister, church leader, military chaplain and politician.
, in Svendborg County
, Denmark
. Clausen was a lay minister in Drammen, Norway prior to immigrating to America during 1842. Ordained during 1843, he organized the first Norwegian Lutheran congregation that came out of the state-church tradition within the Muskego Settlement
. Clausen also organized and served as pastor of several nearby churches including Heart Prairie Lutheran Church
. Clausen accepted a call during 1846 from Norwegian-settlers in the Jefferson Prairie Settlement
. Clausen relocated from the Muskego Settlement and made Rock County, Wisconsin
the center for his activities among the settlements in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, remaining until 1853.
Starting during 1850, Clausen was editor of the Norwegian language newspapers, Maanedstidende and Kirketidende as well as the successor newspaper Emigranten, all published in Inmansville in Rock County
. These Norwegian Lutheran endeavors at publishing mark the existence of the first print-shop in Rock County. From 1853–1861, he was founding pastor of Saint Ansgar Norwegian Lutheran Church, in Saint Ansgar, Iowa.
During 1853, Clausen was one of three pastors who organized the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America commonly known as the Norwegian Synod. Clausen was one of the leading members of a Synod committee appointed to supervise the creation of Luther College
during 1857.
Clausen was elected to the Iowa General Assembly
during 1856 - 1859, serving in the Iowa House of Representatives
. At the outback of the American Civil War
, he would serve as army chaplain from 1861–62 under the command of Colonel Hans C. Heg within the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
, more popularly known as the "Scandinavian Regiment".
Clausen served as the Iowa Commissioner to the Paris
Exposition Universelle (1867)
. In 1868 he resigned from the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and helped organize the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
becoming its first president from 1870 until 1872.
Biography
Claus Clausen was born at Borgnæs in Tranderup Parish, on the island of ÆrøÆrø
Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...
, in Svendborg County
Svendborg County
Svendborg County is a former province in Denmark, located on the southern half of the island of Funen in central Denmark. Svendborg County was established in 1793 and abolished in 1970 when it merged with Odense County forming the new Funen County....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Clausen was a lay minister in Drammen, Norway prior to immigrating to America during 1842. Ordained during 1843, he organized the first Norwegian Lutheran congregation that came out of the state-church tradition within the Muskego Settlement
Muskego Settlement
The Muskego Settlement was one of the first Norwegian American settlements in the United States. Situated near today's Muskego, Wisconsin, the Muskego Settlement covered areas within what is now the town of Norway, Wisconsin.-History:...
. Clausen also organized and served as pastor of several nearby churches including Heart Prairie Lutheran Church
Heart Prairie Lutheran Church
Heart Prairie Lutheran Church of Whitewater, Wisconsin was a historic church organized in 1844 by pioneer Lutheran Minister, Claus Lauritz Clausen....
. Clausen accepted a call during 1846 from Norwegian-settlers in the Jefferson Prairie Settlement
Jefferson Prairie Settlement
Jefferson Prairie Settlement was a pioneer colony of Norwegian-Americans located near the village of Clinton, in Rock County, Wisconsin. This site and the nearby Rock Prairie settlement outside Orfordville, Wisconsin served as a center for both Norwegian immigration and developments within the...
. Clausen relocated from the Muskego Settlement and made Rock County, Wisconsin
Rock County, Wisconsin
-Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908....
the center for his activities among the settlements in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, remaining until 1853.
Starting during 1850, Clausen was editor of the Norwegian language newspapers, Maanedstidende and Kirketidende as well as the successor newspaper Emigranten, all published in Inmansville in Rock County
Rock County, Wisconsin
-Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908....
. These Norwegian Lutheran endeavors at publishing mark the existence of the first print-shop in Rock County. From 1853–1861, he was founding pastor of Saint Ansgar Norwegian Lutheran Church, in Saint Ansgar, Iowa.
During 1853, Clausen was one of three pastors who organized the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America commonly known as the Norwegian Synod. Clausen was one of the leading members of a Synod committee appointed to supervise the creation of Luther College
Luther College (Iowa)
Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
during 1857.
Clausen was elected to the Iowa General Assembly
Iowa General Assembly
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Representatives respectively...
during 1856 - 1859, serving in the Iowa House of Representatives
Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,750 for each constituency...
. At the outback of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, he would serve as army chaplain from 1861–62 under the command of Colonel Hans C. Heg within the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment
The 15th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, more popularly known as the "Scandinavian Regiment", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
, more popularly known as the "Scandinavian Regiment".
Clausen served as the Iowa Commissioner to the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Exposition Universelle (1867)
Exposition Universelle (1867)
The Exposition Universelle of 1867 was a World Exposition held in Paris, France, in 1867.-Conception:In 1864, Emperor Napoleon III decreed that an international exposition should be held in Paris in 1867. A commission was appointed with Prince Jerome Napoleon as president, under whose direction...
. In 1868 he resigned from the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and helped organize 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....
becoming its first president from 1870 until 1872.
Additional reading
- Jensson, J.C. American Lutheran Biographies; Historical notices of over 350 leading men of the American Lutheran Church (Milwaukee, Wis: Houtkamp. 1890)
- Jorgensen, Margreth, Claus L. Clausen, Pioneer Pastor and Settlement Promoter, 1848-1868. (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society. 1930)
- Norlie, Olaf MorganOlaf M. NorlieOlaf Morgan Norlie , also referred to as O. M. Norlie, was a Lutheran minister, educator and scholar. He was a prolific author who is most remembered as the translator of the Simplified New Testament.-Background:...
, Prominent Personalities (Northfield, MN: National Lutheran Council. 1942) - Swansen, H. Fred. The Founder of St. Ansgar: the Life Story of Claus Laurits Clausen (Blair, Nebraska: Lutheran Publishing House. 1949)