John Andreas Widtsoe was born on the island of Freya in Norway, the son of a Norwegian schoolmaster and a fishermaiden. In 1877 when John was just six years old, his father died unexpectedly of an intestinal illness. In 1881 John's mother, Anna, was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway and responded to the call to gather to Zion by immigrating to Utah, where John was later baptized in Logan in 1884. John graduated with honors from Harvard University and the University of Göttingen in Germany. While at Harvard he received two awards-one for demonstrating the greatest depth of knowledge, and one for displaying the greatest breadth of knowledge. He became a professor of agriculture at Utah State University and Brigham Young University. As a scientist, he was noted for his work in irrigation and dry farming. Before his call to the Council of the Twelve, John served successively as president of USU and the University of Utah. As an educator and church leader he became a champion of the Word of Wisdom, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and a rational and intelligible understanding of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. He served in the Quorum of the Twelve for more than thirty years. Elder Widtsoe died in his home at the age of eighty of kidney failure. He was a prolific author, and his classic works include A Rational Theology, Joseph Smith as Scientist, An Understandable Religion, and Evidences and Reconciliations.