Eulogy for Sven Oftedal

An original funeral program, or memorial booklet, containing a biography and speeches. The booklet is in Norwegian.

Biographical Note

Sven Oftedal was born on 22 March 1844 in Stavanger, Norway, to S. L. Oftedal and Gunhild Stokke Oftedal. He graduated from a Latin academy in 1862 and took a philosophy exam the next year. He then traveled around Europe and spent some years as a tutor in Norway. After completing a theology exam, he studied for a year in Paris where he met Professor Sverdrup. He immigrated to America when he was around thirty years old and became a professor at Augsburg Seminary. Professor Wenaas was then principal. He was a minister in the Trinity Church from 1874-1877 and was a missionary during these years. He founded the newspaper Folkebladet in 1877. Sven was treasurer for a fund created by Augsburg College in 1880 and collected $50,000 by 1888. He was a member of the Library Board for ten years and a member of the School Board for ten years, four of these years he spent as chairman. Oftedal was a member of the Augsburg College Board of Trustees and he started the Minneapolis Abstinence Society around 1900. He studied Greek for several years and was appraised by the Greek community in the Twin Cities. He died on 30 March 1911. Sven Oftedal had four children: Karoline, Asmund, George, and Sven Jr. His brother, Gustav Oftedal, and sister, Marie Wettland, also immigrated to America. His funeral took place on 4 April 1911.