author
Osborne J. P. Widtsoe
1877–1920
A teacher, missionary, and writer, he helped shape early Latter-day Saint education while also bringing his faith to the South Pacific. His books reflect a clear, practical style aimed at explaining belief and scripture to everyday readers.
2 Audiobooks
What Jesus Taught
by Osborne J. P. Widtsoe
The Restoration of the Gospel
by Osborne J. P. Widtsoe
About the author
Born in Norway in 1877 and raised in Utah, Osborne J. P. Widtsoe became an educator, religious leader, and author whose life connected scholarship with church service. He studied in Utah and later earned a master's degree from Harvard, then went on to teach English and serve as principal of Latter-day Saints University in Salt Lake City.
He is also remembered as the first missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve in Rarotonga, part of the Cook Islands. Alongside his academic work, he served in church leadership and wrote books such as The Restoration of the Gospel and What Jesus Taught, both aimed at helping readers understand Christian and Latter-day Saint belief more clearly.
Widtsoe died in 1920 at just 42 years old. Though his life was short, his work as a teacher and writer left behind a thoughtful record of early 20th-century Latter-day Saint teaching and religious life.