title: Peter Laurentius Larsen
text: # Peter Laurentius Larsen
  
  Part of a series on :
  
  Lutheranism :
  
  Background
  
  Christianity
  
  Start of the Reformation
  
  Reformation
  
  Protestantism :
  
  Doctrine and theology
  
  Bible
  
  Old Testament
  
  New Testament
  
  Creeds
  
  Apostles' Creed
  
  Nicene Creed
  
  Athanasian Creed
  
  Book of Concord
  
  Augsburg Confession
  
  Apology of the Augsburg Confession
  
  Luther's Small / Large Catechism
  
  Smalcald Articles
  
  Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope
  
  Formula of Concord
  
  Distinctive theological concepts
  
  Theology of Martin Luther
  
  Justification
  
  Law and Gospel
  
  Sola gratia
  
  Sola scriptura
  
  Christology
  
  Sanctification
  
  Two kingdoms
  
  catholicity
  
  Two states of the Church
  
  Priesthood of all believers
  
  Divine Providence
  
  Marian theology
  
  Theology of the Cross
  
  Sacramental Union
  
  Other relevant topics
  
  Homosexuality :
  
  Sacraments and worship
  
  Baptism
  
  Eucharist
  
  Confession
  
  Confirmation
  
  Matrimony
  
  Anointing of the Sick
  
  Holy Orders
  
  Divine Service
  
  Matins
  
  Vespers
  
  Liturgical calendar
  
  Calendar of saints
  
  Lutheran hymn
  
  Lutheran hymnwriters
  
  Normative principle
  
  Lutheran art :
  
  Organization
  
  Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference
  
  Global Confessional & Missional Lutheran Forum
  
  International Lutheran Council
  
  Lutheran World Federation
  
  Denominations
  
  Lutheranism by region :
  
  Movements
  
  History of Lutheranism
  
  Crypto-Lutherans
  
  Gnesio-Lutherans
  
  Lutheran orthodoxy
  
  Pietists
  
  Radical Pietism
  
  Haugeans
  
  Laestadians
  
  Finnish Awakening
  
  Old Lutherans
  
  Neo-Lutherans
  
  High church Lutherans
  
  Confessional Lutheranism :
  
  Missionaries
  
  John Campanius
  
  Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg
  
  Hans Egede
  
  Johann Heinrich Callenberg
  
  Johann Phillip Fabricius
  
  Paul Henkel
  
  John Christian Frederick Heyer
  
  Karl Graul
  
  Martti Rautanen
  
  Wilhelm Sihler
  
  F. C. D. Wyneken
  
  Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder
  
  Lars Olsen Skrefsrud
  
  Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen
  
  Onesimos Nesib
  
  Paul Olaf Bodding
  
  Johann Flierl
  
  Christian Keyser
  
  Jens Christensen :
  
  Bible translators
  
  Martin Luther
  
  Casiodoro de Reina
  
  Kjell Magne Yri
  
  Onesimos Nesib
  
  Aster Ganno
  
  Kristian Osvald Viderø
  
  Jákup Dahl
  
  Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg
  
  Johann Phillip Fabricius
  
  William Tyndale
  
  John Rogers
  
  George Constantine
  
  Jozef Roháček
  
  Johannes Avetaranian
  
  Guðbrandur Þorláksson
  
  Ludvig Olsen Fossum
  
  Hans Egede / Paul Egede
  
  Otto Fabricius
  
  Nils Vibe Stockfleth
  
  Olaus Petri / Laurentius Petri
  
  Martti Rautanen
  
  Primož Trubar
  
  Jurij Dalmatin
  
  Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen
  
  Sebastian Krelj
  
  Mikael Agricola
  
  Norwegian Bible Society
  
  Swedish Bible Society
  
  Samuel Ludwik Zasadius
  
  Stanislovas Rapolionis
  
  Laurentius Andreae
  
  Hans Tausen
  
  Olaf M. Norlie
  
  Jonas Bretkūnas
  
  Hans Paludan Smith Schreuder
  
  Antonio Brucioli
  
  Mikołaj Jakubica
  
  Matthias Bel
  
  Johann Ernst Glück
  
  William F. Beck :
  
  Theologians
  
  Martin Luther / Katharina von Bora
  
  Philip Melanchthon
  
  Johannes Bugenhagen
  
  Johannes Brenz
  
  Justus Jonas
  
  Hans Tausen
  
  Laurentius Petri
  
  Olaus Petri
  
  Mikael Agricola
  
  Matthias Flacius
  
  Martin Chemnitz
  
  Johann Gerhard
  
  Abraham Calovius
  
  Johannes Andreas Quenstedt
  
  Johann Wilhelm Baier
  
  Philipp Spener
  
  David Hollaz
  
  August Hermann Francke
  
  Henry Muhlenberg
  
  Lars Levi Laestadius
  
  Charles Porterfield Krauth
  
  C. F. W. Walther
  
  Søren Kierkegaard
  
  Albrecht Ritschl
  
  Wilhelm Herrmann
  
  F. W. Stellhorn
  
  Rudolf Otto
  
  Ernst Troeltsch
  
  Rudolf Bultmann
  
  Paul Tillich
  
  Hermann Sasse
  
  Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  
  Wolfhart Pannenberg :
  
  vte :
  
  Peter Laurentius Larsen (August 10, 1833 – March 1, 1915) was a Norwegian-American educator and Lutheran theological leader. He was the founding president of Luther College.
  
  ## Background
  
  Peter Laurentius Larsen was born in Kristiansand in the county of Lister og Mandals Amt, Norway. He was an 1855 doctoral graduate at the Royal Frederick University. Laur. Larsen was ordained in Christiania during 1857 and subsequently immigrated to the United States in response to a call issued by the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. He served as a pastor near Rush River, Pierce County, Wisconsin from 1857 until 1859.
  
  The Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church decided on October 10, 1857, to create a college to supply ministers for Norwegian congregations in the Upper Midwest. It decided that students should be sent to Concordia College and Seminary in Missouri and that a Norwegian professorship should be established there. Laur. Larsen was appointed to the Norwegian theology professorship, entering officially upon his duties October 14, 1859. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, disorders arose in St. Louis. When Concordia College and Seminary closed in April, 1861, Professor Larsen and his students returned home.
  
  ## Luther College
  
  At its meeting in June 1861, the church decided to proceed at once to establish its own college. College authorities decided to make use of a newly erected vacant parsonage at Halfway Creek, just north of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Lutheran College opened September 1, 1861, with two teachers, Larsen and F. A. Schmidt. In the summer of 1862 the school was transferred to Decorah, Iowa. Larsen served as President of Luther College from 1861. He supervised the construction of the college's first Main building and its subsequent rebuilding after a devastating fire in 1889. Larsen also acted in a number of capacities as president. Not only was he the chief executive officer, but he also directed admissions, financial matters, curriculum, and fund raising, served as campus pastor and taught a diverse range of subjects. Although he resigned from the presidency in 1902, he continued to teach there until 1911.
  
  Laur. Larsen was vice-president of the Norwegian Synod, 1876 until 1893. He was the acting President of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America from 1880 until 1882. Larsen helped edit the Norwegian language publication Church Monthly (Norwegian: Kirkelig Maanedstidende) and its successor, Evangelical Lutheran Church Times (Norwegian: Evangelisk Luthersk Kirketidende). His articles appeared in the Norwegian language literary magazine Symra. Larsen was appointed a Knight of the 1st Class in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1908 and was awarded an honorary doctorate at Concordia Seminary.
  
  ## Selected works
  
  * Historisk Fremstilling af den Strid, som i Aarene 1861 til 1868 indenfor den norske Synode i Amerika har været ført i Anledning af Skriftens Lære om Slaveri (Madison, Wisconsin: 1868)
  * Inkorporationsartikler, Bilove og gjældende Bestemmelser for dens Institutioner Embedsmend og Virksomhed (Decorah, Iowa: 1901)
  * Nogle gamle minder (in Symra 1913)
  
  ## Personal life
  
  Peter Laurentius Larsen was married twice. He married Karen Randine Neuberg (1833–1871) in Bergen, Norway in 1855. He later married Ingeborg Astrup (1846–1923), in 1872. His son Jakob Larsen as well as other of his 12 children held important positions within the American Lutheran church, colleges and universities
  
  ## Laur. Larsen Hall
  
  Laurentius Larsen Hall, first opened in 1907, is a residence hall at Luther College. It also houses the international student office, study abroad resource center, and health service. The hall is named for Peter Laurentius Larsen, who was the first president of Luther College.
  
  