Louis F. Moench
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Louis Frederick Moench (July 29, 1847 – April 25, 1916) was the founding president of Weber Stake Academy and the father of education in Northern Utah, on the same level of importance as John R. Park and Karl G. Maeser to the development of education in Utah. Moench was born in Neuffen,
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. He was educated in Germany, but before completing studies at a gymnasium came to
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,
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, with his family. He eventually graduated from Bryant & Stratton College there. He then headed west with the intention of becoming an educator in California. However he stopped in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
in 1864 and through the kindness of the people there came to join
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
. For a short time beginning in 1867, Moench was an instructor at the University of Deseret (the predecessor of 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 ...
). He then taught at a "Select School" in Salt Lake where
Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...
's sons and daughters and only select people in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
were in attendance. In 1870, he moved to Brigham City and established the "Select School." In 1872, he accepted a position to organize and teach at Ogden, Utah at the Ogden Seminary. In 1875, as he continued to teach, he accepted the position of Superintendent of Schools for Weber County, retiring in 1883. In Ogden, Moench was supervisor of the city and county schools. He is considered the first president of
Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...
as he was, beginning in 1889, the first principal of Weber Stake Academy. A second term began in 1894. He was succeeded as head of the academy in 1902 by David O. McKay.Morrell, Jeanette McKay. ''Highlights in the Life of President David O. McKay''. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1966) p. 50 Moench also served as a
missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
for the LDS Church in Switzerland and Germany. While on this mission he published many materials in German. The most notable of these was the hymn "Hark, All Ye Nations" set to music by George F. Root. This hymn became the most loved hymn of the German-speaking Latter-day Saints and was translated into English and published as part of the 1985 version of the LDS hymnbook. Moench was also the assistant superintendent of the
Sunday Schools 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 ...
of the Weber Stake under Richard Ballantyne.


Notes


Sources

* Karen Lynn Davidson. ''The Stories of Our Latter-day Saint Hymns''. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1988) p. 413. *
Andrew Jenson Andrew Jenson, born Anders Jensen, (December 11, 1850 – November 18, 1941) was a Danish immigrant to the United States who acted as an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for much of the ea ...
. ''LDS Biographical Encyclopedia''
Vol. 2, p. 244
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moench, Louis F. 1847 births 1916 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries Bryant and Stratton College alumni Converts to Mormonism German emigrants to the United States German Latter Day Saints German Mormon missionaries German Latter Day Saint hymnwriters Mormon missionaries in Germany Mormon missionaries in Switzerland People from Ogden, Utah People from Esslingen (district) University of Utah faculty Weber State University faculty 19th-century German musicians