Sven Gustaf Youngert papers

Sven Gustaf Youngert was born 27 April 1861 in Ljunget, Sweden. His father, Olof Persson Youngert, was a tailor and farmer. Youngert attended public school until the age of fourteen. After his confirmation in June 1876, he began to attend a private school, where he studied mathematics, history, and the natural sciences. At the age of sixteen, Youngert began to work for a painter, with the intention of becoming one himself. At the age of eighteen, he moved in with his sister in Stockholm, where he worked as a painter. He attended another private school for two years and was accepted to the Fjellstedt School in Upsala in 1882. In 1884, Youngert took a position as a private tutor to a prominent family in Upsala. He remained in the position for two years.

In 1886, Youngert immigrated to the United States to attend Augustana College and Theological Seminary. He studied there for six years and was ordained as a minister 5 June 1892. He had enough credits from his schools in Sweden to receive a Master’s degree in that year as well. From 1892 to 1897, Youngert served as pastor of the Zion Lutheran Church of Kewanee, Illinois. Between 1894 and 1895 he was the secretary of the Illinois Conference of the Augustana Lutheran Church. He married Hannah Alfrida Schoberg 27 April 1894. They had eight children: Eugene, Elvira, Oliver, Eunice, Ilian, Harriet, Arnold, and Marjorie.

In 1897, Youngert received his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Augustana College. From January 1897 to September 1900, he served as pastor of the First Lutheran Church of Ottumwa, Iowa. After this, he received a post as professor at Augustana Theological Seminary, a position he held until 1912. While teaching, Youngert also received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1901, and his Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1905, both from Augustana College. In addition, he took summer courses at the University of Iowa beginning in 1906, and graduated with a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1912.

In 1912, Youngert was appointed pastor of Emanuel Church in Hartford, Connecticut, where he served until 1917. He then returned to Augustana Theological Seminary as a professor from 1917 to 1931. He served as the Vice President of Augustana College and Theological Seminary from 1920 to 1927 and as the Dean of the Seminary from 1930 to 1931. In June 1931, he was appointed pastor of both the First Lutheran Church of Waltham and the Gustaf Adolf Church of Natick, Massachusetts. He held the post until 1935, when he again returned to Augustana to teach. In 1930, Youngert undertook an extensive trip to Egypt, Syria, Jerusalem, Italy, Greece, and Germany. While in Germany, he was a delegate at the celebration of the four hundredth anniversary of the Augsburg Confession.

Youngert published several books and pamphlets throughout his career, most of which focused on philosophy and the teaching of religion. He served as the editor of the Augustana Theological Quarterly from 1912 to 1917. Youngert received numerous awards and titles during his career, including the Order of Knighthood of the North Star, First Class, from Gustaf V, King of Sweden. Sven Gustaf Youngert died 26 February 1939.