Diderikke Brandt Pastor' Wives Society
 Diderikke Brandt, 1827-1885,
organized women in Decorah, Iowa in the 1860’s to meet together and mend
the clothing of the pre-ministerial students attending Luther College
where her husband served on the faculty. Perhaps it was unusual that
Mrs. Brandt was a professor’s wife as well as a pastor’s wife; however,
it was typical of pastor’s wives that they were influential in the
formation and leadership of women’s societies.
The sum of her total gifts would not be
inconsiderable, says one author, but of far greater value was “the
impression which her self sacrificing care made upon the hearts of the
young and the encouragement which they thereby received to learn to live
not for themselves alone, but rather for others.”
When the Norwegian Synod
Prestekoneforening (Pastor’ Wives Society) was formed, it followed the
pattern of Diderikke Brandt, directing its support primarily toward
educational institutions, providing financial assistance to needy male
students. (Photo courtesy of Luther Seminary
Archives, St. Paul Minnesota.)
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