Carl Aaron Swensson
Encyclopedia
Carl Aaron Swensson was an American Lutheran minister and founder and President of Bethany College.
. He was a son of Jonas and Maria (Blixt) Swensson and the eldest in a family of seven children. His parents came to America in 1856 from Småland
, Sweden
. His father, Jonas Swensson
, a minister of the Swedish Lutheran Church, was president of the Augustana Synod of the Swedish Lutheran churches in America.
As a youth he attended a parochial school at Andover, Illinois
. He graduated with the class of 1877 from Augustana College
at Rock Island, Illinois. The same year he entered the Theological Seminary and was graduated in June, 1879. He was ordained as a minister of the Swedish Lutheran Church of the Augustana Synod on June 22, 1879.
. He succeeded Rev. Dr. Olof Olsson, Lindsborg’s Swedish immigrant pioneer leader who later became President of the Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Bethany College was founded in the sacristy of Bethany Lutheran Church on October 15, 1881.
Dr. Swensson received his A. M. from Augustana College in 1889; his Ph. D. from the University of Upsala, in 1893; his D. D. from Thiel College
, Greenville, Pennsylvania
, and from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois
. He was decorated with the order of "Knights of the North star" by King Oscar II of Sweden in 1901. He served as secretary of the General Council of the Lutheran Church of North America in 1885, and its president from 1893–1894. He was a member of the Kansas Legislature
1889–1890, having been elected to the Kansas House of Representatives
. He was a delegate to the Republican Convention during 1896. He was president of the Kansas Teachers' Association 1889–1890. He was a member of the State Historical Society and of American Academy of Political and Social Science at the World's Columbian Exhibition in 1893. He was a member of the Building Committee for Sweden's Building at the St. Louis Exposition
in 1904.
Traveling extensively throughout America, Dr. Swensson was a popular orator, writer and author. He was an author of devotional books In the Morning Hour (Swedish:I Morgonstund) and By the Fireside as well as of several books of travel in Swedish and English. He was also editor of and contributor to church and secular papers. Dr. Swensson’s books and other writings were popular in Sweden and several times he traveled there. A marble statue of Dr. Swensson is displayed prominently on the Bethany College campus.
Background
Carl Aaron Swensson was born at Chandler’s Valley near Sugar Grove, PennsylvaniaSugar Grove, Pennsylvania
Sugar Grove is a borough in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 613 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sugar Grove is located at ....
. He was a son of Jonas and Maria (Blixt) Swensson and the eldest in a family of seven children. His parents came to America in 1856 from Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. His father, Jonas Swensson
Jonas Swensson
Jonas Swensson was a noted minister of the Lutheran Church and president of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church....
, a minister of the Swedish Lutheran Church, was president of the Augustana Synod of the Swedish Lutheran churches in America.
As a youth he attended a parochial school 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 ....
. He graduated with the class of 1877 from 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...
at Rock Island, Illinois. The same year he entered the Theological Seminary and was graduated in June, 1879. He was ordained as a minister of the Swedish Lutheran Church of the Augustana Synod on June 22, 1879.
Career
Dr. Swensson accepted a call from the Swedish Lutheran Church at Lindsborg, KansasLindsborg, Kansas
Lindsborg is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,458. It is known for its association with Swedish heritage and the biennial Svensk Hyllningsfest...
. He succeeded Rev. Dr. Olof Olsson, Lindsborg’s Swedish immigrant pioneer leader who later became President of the Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Bethany College was founded in the sacristy of Bethany Lutheran Church on October 15, 1881.
Dr. Swensson received his A. M. from Augustana College in 1889; his Ph. D. from the University of Upsala, in 1893; his D. D. from Thiel College
Thiel College
Thiel College is a private, liberal arts, sciences and professional studies college related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Thiel provides affordable high-quality college experience with dedicated faculty, numerous leadership opportunities and a wide variety of student activities and...
, Greenville, Pennsylvania
Greenville, Pennsylvania
Greenville is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Located along the Shenango River, Greenville is roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Greenville is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 570,000 people...
, and from Augustana College, 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...
. He was decorated with the order of "Knights of the North star" by King Oscar II of Sweden in 1901. He served as secretary of the General Council of the Lutheran Church of North America in 1885, and its president from 1893–1894. He was a member of the Kansas Legislature
Kansas Legislature
The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, composed of 125 Representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 Senators...
1889–1890, having been elected to the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
. He was a delegate to the Republican Convention during 1896. He was president of the Kansas Teachers' Association 1889–1890. He was a member of the State Historical Society and of American Academy of Political and Social Science at the World's Columbian Exhibition in 1893. He was a member of the Building Committee for Sweden's Building at the St. Louis Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
in 1904.
Traveling extensively throughout America, Dr. Swensson was a popular orator, writer and author. He was an author of devotional books In the Morning Hour (Swedish:I Morgonstund) and By the Fireside as well as of several books of travel in Swedish and English. He was also editor of and contributor to church and secular papers. Dr. Swensson’s books and other writings were popular in Sweden and several times he traveled there. A marble statue of Dr. Swensson is displayed prominently on the Bethany College campus.
Other sources
- Olson, Ernst W. and Martin J. Engberg History of the Swedes in Illinois – In Three Parts; Part I: History of the Swedes of Illinois, Part II: Biographical Sketches with Portraits – Chicago, & Part III: Biographical Sketches with Portraits – Counties at Large ( Engberg-Holmberg Publishing Company, Chicago: 1908)
- Pearson, Daniel Merle The Americanization of Carl Aaron Swensson (Augustana Historical Society. 1977)
Other Reading
- Swensson, Carl Aaron The Swedes in Kansas: A paper written by President C.A. Swensson, of Bethany College, Lindsborg, for the annual meeting of the State Historical Society, January 17, 1888 (Kansas State Historical Society. 1890)
- Granquist, Mark and Maria Erling The Augustana Story: Shaping Lutheran Identity in North America (Augsburg Fortress Publishers. 2008)