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 Karl Gottfried Maeser (January 16, 1828 – February 15, 1901) was a prominent Utah educator and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served 16 years as principal of Brigham Young Academy. Although h ...

to the development of education in Utah. Moench was born in

Neuffen Neuffen is a town in the district of Esslingen, in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geography It is located 14 km northeast of Reutlingen, and 28 km southeast of Stuttgart. Its major attraction is a quite impressive castle wit ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He was educated in Germany, but before completing studies at a gymnasium came to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, with his family. He eventually graduated from

Bryant & Stratton College Bryant & Stratton College (BSC) is a private for-profit college with campuses in New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as an online campus. Founded in 1854, the college offers associate degree programs at all campuses and bachelor's ...

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 (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 ...

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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. 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 (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

's sons and daughters and only select people in

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 Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

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 David Oman McKay (September 8, 1873 – January 18, 1970) was an American religious leader and educator who served as the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1951 until his death in 1970. Ordain ...

.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 denomination, 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.Tho ...

for the LDS Church in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and Germany. While on this mission he published many materials in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. 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 Richard Ballantyne (August 26, 1817 – November 8, 1898) was the founder of the Sunday School of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having begun the program in December 1849. He was also a Mormon pioneer and missionary. Ballanty ...

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