LOETSCHER, Frederick

LOETSCHER, Frederick. (Dubuque, IA, May 15, 1875--July 31, 1966). Loetscher graduated, magna cum laude, from Princeton University in 1896. He went on to receive his master's and doctorate degrees from the same institution. Following a year of graduate study in the Seminary, he continued his advanced work at Berlin and Strassburg.

In 1903 Loetscher began his teaching career at Princeton Seminary where he was renowned as "Dr. Fred." He served as Professor of Homiletics from 1910-1913 and then, as Archibald Alexander Professor of Church History from 1913-1945. After his retirement in 1945, he continued as professor at Temple University until 1951.

Loetscher made many scholarly contributions. His Ph.D dissertation was on the celebrated Silesian mystic entitled "Schwenckfeld's Participation in the Eucharistic Controversy of the Sixteenth Century. He wrote "St. Augustine's Conception of the State" and his address delivered before the General Assembly on the theme, "The Influence of the Reformation" and his Insugural Address, "Church History as a Science and as A Theogical Discipline." The degrees, D. D. and LL.D, honoris causa, were conferred on Dr. Loetscher by Lafayette College in 1904 and the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE in 1918.

Dr. Loetscher edited the Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, was secretary of the American Society of Church History as well as editor of its Papers, and president in 1934. In 1939 he represented his denomination on the American Theological committee of the World Conference on Faith and Order and served as its secretary. He late became the departmental editor of Collier's Encyclopedia.