Karl G. Maeser - Life

Life

Born in Meissen, Germany, Maeser attended parochial school as a boy. By 1855 Maeser was a teacher at the Budig Institute in Dresden. The year before he had married Anna Mieth, the daughter of the director of the Budig Institute. Maeser joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Dresden. He was baptized by Franklin D. Richards with William Budge.

At the time the church was banned in Germany, so he had to be baptised at night. At this time all Latter-day Saints were urged to gather together in Utah. Maeser and his family began the journey towards Utah, but in England he was called to serve as a missionary, serving both there and in Scotland, and delaying their journey to Utah. Among other assignments Maeser served as a missionary among the Germans in London. While they were in England, Karl and Anna's second son was born, Karl Franklin Maeser. He died in port as they arrived and they buried him on land when they arrived on July 4, 1857. After living a few weeks in Philadelphia, Maeser was called to serve as a missionary to the German-speaking people of Philadelphia, and spent some time laboring in Virginia. While in Virginia Maeser earned keep for himself and his family by giving music lessons. Among Maeser's students in Virginia were the daughters of former United States President John Tyler. Maeser returned with Anna to Philadelphia, where he was called to serve as Conference President in Philadelphia. Maeser and his family left Philadelphia in 1860 and traveled across the country in Patriarch John Smith's company. Maeser thus arrived in Utah Territory on September 1, 1860.

In 1860 Maeser was appointed to head the church meetings in Salt Lake City held in the German language. However shortly after this, most of the Swiss Church members moved to Santa Clara, Utah and other locations in southern or central Utah, so the meetings in Salt Lake City were ended. He was called to serve a Mission to Switzerland in 1867 and appointed mission president in 1868. He founded the church magazine Der Stern in January 1869. Upon his return to Utah in 1870, there were again enough German speaking church members in Salt Lake City for them to hold their own church meetings, and Maeser was again the one who presided at these meetings.

In his early days in Utah Maeser served as the tutor for Brigham Young's children, but also instructed other children who came to the Young household for this purpose including Ellis Reynolds Shipp.

In 1876, Maeser became the second principal of Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah, which was later to become Brigham Young University. He was the first superintendent of the Church Educational System from 1888 to 1901.

Once, during some difficult times as the school was struggling, Maeser pondered going elsewhere. He had a dream, or what he called a vision in which he saw "Temple Hill filled with buildings - great temples of learning."

A moving story comes from when the old Lewis building where the academy first met burned down. Reed Smoot, a former student of Maeser's approached him and said "Dr. Maeser, the academy is no more." Maeser responded "no such thing, the building has burned but the academy lives on in us."

For a short period of time Maeser was an assistant organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Maeser was married twice, first to Anna Mieth in 1854, and then in 1875 to Emilie Damke as a plural wife. Karl had a total of 11 children, several of which died in infancy.

One of his sons, Karl Emil, went on to be a respected educator and school president.