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Born in Norway, John A. Widtsoe (1872–1952) was renowned for his expertise in irrigation and dry farming. His pioneering work pushed the boundaries of and contributed significantly to advancements in agricultural practices. Moreover, his forays into the field of biochemistry exemplified his relentless pursuit of scientific understanding.
Widtsoe’s journey came with challenges, especially after he was called as an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As president of both Utah State Agricultural College (1907–16) and the University of Utah (1916–21), he faced controversies and obstacles head-on. Additionally, he played a significant role in overseeing the expansion of the LDS gospel in both Europe and the United States. He was highly esteemed within his church due to his ability to provide thorough and insightful explanations of various aspects of church doctrine and reconcile them with scientific truths. Throughout the early-to-mid-twentieth century, he symbolized to many church members the successful integration of religious faith with secular knowledge, inspiring countless individuals to embrace both realms in harmony.
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Excerpt:
As the anti-Mormon campaign continued to accelerate and church members and missionaries encountered press and public opposition, the First Presidency sent Reed Smoot and John Widtsoe to Europe to try to overcome or at least mitigate the opposition. As Widtsoe put it, “Enemies of the Church, chiefly ministers were industriously circulating untruths about us.” The choice of Widtsoe was particularly fortuitous because he spoke several European languages in addition to Norwegian, his native language, and German, where he had studied.
Sailing from New York on the maiden voyage of the Leviathan, Smoot and Widtsoe landed in England and went immediately to London to meet with British officials and newspaper publishers. They met with newspaper owners, including Lord Beaverbrook, of the London Express, Evening Standard, and the Glasgow Evening Citizen. They also met with a number of officials, including former prime minister Stanley Baldwin. The information that Smoot provided on the church led the newspaper owners to understand “that they had been printing rot.” After speaking with Smoot, newspaper representatives “agreed [they] henceforth would no longer accept anti-Mormon material.” Widtsoe believed that after this agreement, “persecution largely disappeared” during the 1920s. Nevertheless, some anti-Mormon gatherings occurred in England as late as 1929.
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About the author
Thomas G. Alexander is Lemuel Hardison Redd Jr. Professor Emeritus of Western American History at Brigham Young University and author or editor of numerous books and articles. He has served as president of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association, of Phi Alpha Theta (the National History Honor Society), of the Mormon History Association, and of the National Society of the Sons of Utah Pioneers. He chaired the Board of Utah State History and the Utah Humanities Council. His honors include the Evans Biography Award, Fellow of the Utah State Historical Society, the Western History Association Honorary Life Membership, and BYU’s Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lectureship.
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