Hans Gerhard Stub (23 February 1849 – 1 August 1931) was an American

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

theologian and church leader. He served as Bishop of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America.

Background

Hans Gerhard Stub was born in

Muskego, Wisconsin Muskego () is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,135. Muskego is the fifth largest community in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Muskego has a large Norwegian population. The nam ...

. His parents were Lutheran Pastor Hans Andreas Stub (1822–1907) and Ingeborg Margrethe Arentz (1815–1892), both immigrants from Norway. Hans Stub was born in an immigrant cabin in Wisconsin. He was shaped from childhood by the life within the

Norwegian Synod The Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, commonly called the Norwegian Synod, was founded in 1853. It included churches in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. History In February 1853, several Lutheran ministers in ...

, which his father had help found in 1853. He studied for a time in Norway at the Bergen Cathedral School. Stub later attended Luther College and belonged to the first class that graduated from there in 1866. He was a theological candidate at

Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary is a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Lutheran seminary in Clayton, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, Missionary, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Chur ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

in 1872 and became a pastor in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

during 1878. He was a professor of theology and from 1879 head of

Luther Seminary Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...

, first in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, later in St. Paul, Minnesota. From 1881 to 1882, he studied at the

Leipzig University Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...

Ministry

He was a pastor position in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...

(1896–1900) and later became a professor at Luther College (1898–1900). In 1900 he was a professor and head of the

. He was editor of several journals, including the Norwegian language ''Teologisk tidsskrift'' (1899–1908). Stub was also the author of numerous books and articles. Stub was head of the Norwegian Synod from 1911. On June 9, 1917, the

United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America The United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (UNLC) was the result of the union in 1890 of the Norwegian Augustana Synod (est. 1870), the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (1870), and the Anti-Missourian ...

, the

Hauge Synod The Hauge Synod (formally Hauge's Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod in America) was the name of a Norwegian Lutheran church body in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Background The Hauge Synod (Norwegian: ) wa ...

, and the

merged. From 1917 to 1925, Stub served as the first Bishop of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America, which resulted from the church unification. He was also a founder and later president (1918–21) of the

National Lutheran Council The National Lutheran Council (NLC) was a cooperative agency of most of the Lutheran church bodies in the United States. It was established in 1918 and was replaced in 1966 by the Lutheran Council in the United States of America. History The cele ...

in the United States. Hans G. Stub was appointed a Knight of the 1st Class of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in 1908, Commander in 1912, and received the Grand Cross in 1926. Stub was the recipient of the first honorary degree granted by Luther College (Doctor of Laws) on his 75th birthday, February 23, 1924. He also received honorary degrees from

Capitol University Capitol University is a non-sectarian, co-educational private university located in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. It is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a stock corporation and operates with the authority of the Depart ...

and St. Olaf College. The papers of Hans Gerhard Stub are contained within the Luther College Archives.

Personal life

Hans Stub was married three times. In 1876 with Didrikke Aall Ottesen (1855–1879), daughter of Luther Church leader, Jacob Aall Ottesen (1825–1904). In 1884 with Valborg Charlotte Amalie Hovind (1860–1901), and in 1906 with Anna Skabo (1867–1960). Through his second wife, he was the brother -in-law of Norwegian publisher,

Hagbard Emanuel Berner Hagbart (or Hagbard) Emanuel Berner (12 September 1839 – 24 January 1920) was a Norwegian lawyer, Liberal Party politician and newspaper editor. He was one of Norway's leading liberal progressives of his time. He represented the Liberal Party a ...

Selected works

*''Om Naadevalget (1881) *''Foredrag mod det humanistiske og saakaldte kristelige Frimureri'' (1882) *''Hr. Kristofer Jansons prædiken'' (1893) *''Fra fars og mors liv'' (1907) *''Hvad staar iveien for det kirkelige enighedsarbeide blandt os?'' (1911) *''Foreningssagens Gang'' (1916) *''Interchurch World Movement'' (1920) *''Reminiscenses from Bygone Days'' (1922)

References

Other sources

* Norlie, O. E. ''Norske lutherske prester i Amerika 1843–1913'' (Minneapolis, 1914) * Norlie, O. E. ''Luther College through sixty years, 1861–1921'' (Decorah, IA, 1922) * Stub, Jacob Aal Ottesen ''Some Memories of My Father'' (in Lutheran Almanac, Minneapolis, 1932) * Nelson, E. Clifford ''The Lutheran Church Among Norwegian-Americans'' (Minneapolis, 1960)

External links

Bust of Hans Gerhard Stub
(

Paul Fjelde Paul Fjelde (August 12, 1892 – May 3, 1984) was a noted American sculptor and educator. Background Paul Fjelde was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the son of Jacob Fjelde, who was a well-known sculptor in Norway when he emigrated ...

. 1926) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stub, Hans Gerhard 1849 births 1931 deaths American people of Norwegian descent People educated at the Bergen Cathedral School American expatriates in Norway People from Muskego, Wisconsin 20th-century American Lutheran clergy Luther College (Iowa) alumni Leipzig University alumni Writers from Iowa Writers from Wisconsin Religious leaders from Wisconsin Concordia Seminary alumni 19th-century American Lutheran clergy