Lars Wilhelm Boe papers, 1896-1993

Biography/History: 
Lars W. Boe (1875–1942) was a prominent leader in both St. Olaf College’s early development and the broader history of American Lutheranism. The son of a pioneer pastor, he graduated from St. Olaf in 1898 and was ordained after completing his studies at the United Lutheran Church seminary in St. Paul. In his twenties, Boe became the first president of Waldorf College (1904–1915), simultaneously serving as a pastor and as a member of the Iowa state legislature. He later moved into church administration, becoming the executive secretary to the trustees and education board of the newly formed Norwegian Lutheran Church of America in 1917.

Boe’s 1918 inauguration as St. Olaf’s president highlighted his continuity with the college’s earlier leaders, blending Norwegian-American traditions with the wartime patriotism of the era. His presidency carried the college through years of growth and hardship, guiding St. Olaf from a period of prosperity, through the Great Depression, and into the challenges of another world war.

Scope and Content: 
Articles, pamphlets, clippings, scrapbooks, and pictures dealing largely with biography. L. W. Boe was the fourth president of St. Olaf College. The two scrapbooks were compiled by his sister, A. Sophie Boe. The main collection of the L.W. Boe Papers is in the St. Olaf College Archives. Papers deal largely with biography, Boe's proposals for reorganization of the Lutheran Church, and the Boe Memorial Chapel.