Frederik Samuelsen
Encyclopedia
Frederik Ferdinand Samuelsen (1865-1929) was a member of the Danish Rigsdag
, a member of the city council in Aarhus, Denmark and a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who later immigrated to the United States.
Samuelsen was born in Copenhagen. Samuelsen was trained as a locksmith and machinist. In 1889 he moved to Aarhus. In 1890 he married Marie Marianne Florentine Jensen. They eventually had five children. In 1892 Samuelsen and his wife joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
From 1900-1917 Samuelsen served as a member of the Aarhus City council. From 1906-1918 he served for several terms as a member of the Rigsdag. His election was opposed by the local Lutheran clergy. Samuelsen was the first Latter-day Saint to serve in a national legislature besides that of the United States.
In 1908 Samuelsen managed to get included in the funeral regulation law allowances for Mormon elders to conduct funerals and even to do so in the funeral chapels. In 1912 he vocally spoke out against planned bans on Mormon missionaries in Denmark and was successful in getting it stopped. Then in 1913 by his bold challenging of the false claims that Mormon missionaries were part of the trade of white slavery he got those accusations halted as well.
During World War I Samuelsen served as president of the Aarhus District
of the LDS Church. In 1919 Samuelsen was released as president of the Aarhus District and moved to Utah where he settled in Salt Lake City.
Rigsdag
Rigsdagen was the name of the Parliament of Denmark from 1849 to 1953.Rigsdagen was Denmark's first parliament, and it was incorporated in the Constitution of 1849. It was a bicameral legislature, consisting of two houses, the Folketing and the Landsting. The distinction between the two houses was...
, a member of the city council in Aarhus, Denmark and a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who later immigrated to the United States.
Samuelsen was born in Copenhagen. Samuelsen was trained as a locksmith and machinist. In 1889 he moved to Aarhus. In 1890 he married Marie Marianne Florentine Jensen. They eventually had five children. In 1892 Samuelsen and his wife joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
From 1900-1917 Samuelsen served as a member of the Aarhus City council. From 1906-1918 he served for several terms as a member of the Rigsdag. His election was opposed by the local Lutheran clergy. Samuelsen was the first Latter-day Saint to serve in a national legislature besides that of the United States.
In 1908 Samuelsen managed to get included in the funeral regulation law allowances for Mormon elders to conduct funerals and even to do so in the funeral chapels. In 1912 he vocally spoke out against planned bans on Mormon missionaries in Denmark and was successful in getting it stopped. Then in 1913 by his bold challenging of the false claims that Mormon missionaries were part of the trade of white slavery he got those accusations halted as well.
During World War I Samuelsen served as president of the Aarhus District
District (LDS Church)
A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...
of the LDS Church. In 1919 Samuelsen was released as president of the Aarhus District and moved to Utah where he settled in Salt Lake City.
Sources
- LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 707