Georg Sverdrup (December 16, 1848 – May 3, 1907) was a Norwegian-American Lutheran theologian and an educator.

Background

He was born at Balestrand in Nordre Bergenhus county, Norway to Karoline Metella Suur and Harald Ulrik Sverdrup, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, whose brother Johan Sverdrup was Prime Minister of Norway between 1884 and 1889.

He attended the Hartvig Nissens skole in Christiania and later graduated from the University of Christiania in theology in the year of 1871, having studied under Gisle Johnson.

Emphasizing the freedom of the local congregation, together with Sven Oftedal, he founded the Lutheran Free Church in 1897. He also served as the President of Augsburg until his death in 1907. Apart from his teachings, Sverdrup became joint editor to the Theologisk Kvartalskrift (1875–1877; sole editor until 1881), of the weekly church magazine Lutheraneren (1885–1890), later renamed as Luthersk Kirkeblad (1890–1894) and editor of the monthly magazine Gasseren (1900–1907). Many of his writings are published in a six-volume set edited by Andreas Helland.

Personal life

Sverdrup married Katherine Elisabet Heiberg in 1874, with whom he had five children. Three years after her death, Sverdrup married Katherine's sister, with whom he had two children. His son George Sverdrup later also served as President of Augsburg College.

References

Other sources

  • Hamre, James S. (1986) Georg Sverdrup: Educator, Theologian, Churchman (Northfield, Minn: Norwegian-American Historical Association)
  • Helland, Andreas (1947) Georg Sverdrup, the Man and His Message 1848–1907 : A Biographical Sketch (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Tavuchis, Nicholas (2013) Pastors and Immigrants: The Role of a Religious Elite in the Absorption of Norwegian Immigrants (Springer Publishing Company)
  • The Georg Sverdrup Society Website