Karl G. Maeser
| Karl G. Maeser | |
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Principal of Brigham Young Academy (later becoming Brigham Young University) |
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In office August 1876 – January 1892 |
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| Preceded by | Warren Newton Dusenberry |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Cluff |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 16, 1828 Meissen, Germany |
| Died | February 15, 1901 (aged 73) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 8 |
Karl Gottfried Maeser (January 16, 1828 – February 15, 1901) was a prominent Utah educator and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served 16 years as principal of Brigham Young Academy. Although he was not the first principal of the Academy, he is considered its founder. The Academy later became Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1903.
Before teaching at the Academy, Maeser taught at several different schools in Germany and in Utah. He tutored Brigham Young's children. Maeser incorporated the Monitorial System into his teaching philosophies and believed that students should each have responsibilities. Maeser was influenced by Pestalozzian educational theory, but also advocated that schools should include religion.
Maeser served as a missionary for the LDS Church in four nations and held many leadership positions in the church, including serving as the head of the Church Educational System and in the central leadership of the Sunday School. His educational philosophies shaped Brigham Young Academy and other church academies throughout Utah. He represented the church at the Mid-Winter Fair in San Francisco, distributing information about Utah and the church's schools.
Karl G. Maeser was born on January 16, 1828, in the town ofMeissen, in Saxony, Germany, to Johann Gottfried and Federicka Zocher Maeser. Maeser was the oldest of four sons. His family was well known in Meissen. His father was a china painter in a porcelain shop. Maeser went to public school in Meissen. He temporarily lost his sight for eight months when he was 11 years old due to an unknown cause.
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