Christen Jensen (1881–1961) was an American educator who twice served as interim president of

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU). The two terms were 1939-1940 while Franklin S. Harris was doing work in Iran and then in Nov. 1949-Feb. 1951 between the presidencies of Howard S. McDonald and Ernest L. Wilkinson. Jensen was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

to Christen Jensen Sr. and his wife Nel Sina Johnsen, both of whom were immigrants from Denmark. Jensen initially went through the

Normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

of the University of Utah, and then was a teacher in such southern Salt Lake County towns as Midvale and Riverton as well as Pleasant Green in western Salt Lake County. While teaching in Midvale Jensen met another teacher there named Juliaetta Bateman. They had a common interest in music. They married on August 17, 1904. Jensen then decided to pursue further studies in political science. He received his bachelor's degree from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

in 1907 and his M.A. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1908. Jensen joined the BYU faculty in 1908. In 1911 he became the chair of the BYU Department of History and Political Science. He held this position until 1949. Jensen later took a leave to complete a Ph.D. at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, writing his dissertation on the history and uses of the pardoning power. Jensen served as dean of the College of Applied Science there and also from 1929 until 1949 as dean of BYU's Graduate School. He also served as dean of the BYU department of history and political science.''Deseret News'', May 23, 1949 During Jensen's administration a requirement for taking a course in American history and government for graduation was added and the

George Albert Smith Fieldhouse The George Albert Smith Fieldhouse is a 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Provo, Utah. Built in 1951, it is the home of the Brigham Young University Cougars volleyball teams and most home gymnastics meets. It was named for George Albert Smith, t ...

was built. Jensen was a Latter-day Saint. He had many callings in the

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

and also served for a time as a member of the presidency of the Utah Stake, which covered Provo and its immediate vicinity. At the time of his death Jensen was serving as the Patriarch of the Provo East Stake.

Sources

* Wilkinson, Ernest L., ed., ''Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years''. Vol. 2, p. 486-495.; Vol. 4, p. 468-469.
''Political Research Quarterly'' announcement of Jensen's death
* Jensen, Julia Bateman, ''Little Gold Pieces'' 1948.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Christen 1881 births People from Salt Lake City People from Midvale, Utah American political scientists 20th-century American educators American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints University of Utah alumni Harvard University alumni University of Chicago alumni Brigham Young University faculty Patriarchs (LDS Church) 1961 deaths Latter Day Saints from Utah 20th-century political scientists